Basque Culinary Center hosts 8th Edition of Fine Waters Summit
San Sebastián has witnessed a historic event by hosting the TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2024 of the FineWaters International Water Tasting Competition, an exceptional initiative that took place for the first time. This prestigious competition, held within the framework of the 2024 FineWaters Summit, was supervised by a distinguished international jury consisting of six professional water sommeliers with extensive experience.
Like wine, water also deserves attention. Water is not simply water. It has terroir, comes from a real place, and has character. As representatives of the premium water category, FineWaters and Fine Water Society have developed a guide for conducting water tastings, with the aim of establishing a professional standard for the industry.
110 waters from 37 countries, including South Korea, Vietnam, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, participated in this water tasting competition, with Spain being represented by 4 waters, including the official partner of this FineWaters edition: Solán de Cabras.
WATERS SUMMIT
The waters were divided into the following categories: still, sparkling, and naturally carbonated; within each group, subdivisions were made according to mineral content and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), that is, the amount of minerals present in the water. The amount of minerals gives flavor to the water and allows it to pair with food, similar to wine. The water sommelier's job is to select the water experiences a restaurant offers, and restaurants must have a water menu capable of responding to the paradigm shift in how water is experienced.
The gold, silver, and bronze awards for each category were announced on Friday, April 26, at the Basque Culinary Center.
Here is the list of this year's winners:
STILL Super Low Minerality
- Gold: Wossa (Austria)
- Silver: Saratoga (USA)
- Bronze: Lofoten (Norway)
STILL Low Minerality
- Gold: Sembrancher (Switzerland)
- Gold: La Sasse (France)
- Silver: Crag (UK)
- Silver: Aqua Prestige (Romania)
- Silver: Tahoe Artesian (USA)
- Silver: Oravida (New Zealand)
- Bronze: Driftless Fine Water (USA)
STILL Medium Minerality
- Gold: Pure One (New Zealand)
- Silver: Balbin (Czech Republic)
- Silver: Solán de Cabras (Spain)
- Bronze: Miocen (Vietnam)
- Bronze: Sant Aniol (Spain)
STILL High Minerality
- Gold: Three Bays (Australia)
- Silver: Marizia (Italy)
STILL Very High Minerality
- Gold: Socosani
STILL CURATED
- Gold: SaRangHae (South Korea)
- Silver: GRS (South Korea)
SPARKLING Super Low Minerality
- Gold: Wossa (Austria)
- Silver: Kuohu (Finland)
- Bronze: Montarcher (France)
- Bronze: Saratoga (USA)
SPARKLING Low Minerality
- Gold: Zaku (Latvia)
- Silver: Crag (UK)
- Silver: Sembracher (Switzerland)
- Bronze: Waiakea (USA)
- Bronze: Theoni (Greece)
SPARKLING Medium Minerality
- Gold: Solán de Cabras (Spain)
- Gold: Haage (Estonia)
- Silver: Sant Aniol (Spain)
- Bronze: Balbin (Czech Republic)
SPARKLING High Minerality
- Gold: Marizia (Italy)
- Silver: Three Bays (Australia)
SPARKLING Very High Minerality
- Gold: Socosani (Peru)
- Silver: Haanja (Estonia)
SPARKLING CURATED
- Gold: Nevas (Germany)
SPARKLING Naturally Carbonated (Low to High)
- Gold: Güitig (Ecuador)
- Silver: Orezza (France)
- Bronze: Tatranska Chamois (Slovakia)
SPARKLING Naturally Carbonated (Very High)
- Gold: ROI (Slovenia)
- Silver: Vichy Catalan (Spain)
- Bronze: Radenska (Slovenia)
Design Awards
GLASS
- Gold: La Sasse (France)
- Silver: Fromin (Czech Republic)
- Silver: ROI (Slovenia)
- Silver: Vellamo (Finland)
- Bronze: Balbin (Czech Republic)
- Bronze: Nevas (Germany)
- Bronze: Solán de Cabras (Spain)
PET
- Gold: Fromin (Czech Republic)
- Silver: Haage (Estonia)
- Silver: Haanja (Estonia)
- Silver: OSE (Finland)
- Bronze: Sant Aniol (Spain)
ALUMINUM
- Gold: Crag (UK)
- Silver: Wossa (Austria)
- Bronze: Perlage (Poland)
TETRA
- Gold: Theoni
- Bag in Box
- Gold: OSE (Finland)
- Silver: Thunderbird (Canada)
- Silver: Mountain Falls (South Africa)
Epicurean Integration of Waters
Under the overarching theme "Epicurean Integration of Waters," the 2024 FineWaters Summit aimed to highlight premium water on the epicurean table. Beyond mere hydration, the talks, conferences, and quick pitches that formed the congress explored the taste of water, the art of gastrophysics, water and food pairings, water and wine pairings, and other innovative concepts, with the aim of transforming water into an essential tool for creating unforgettable culinary experiences.
A Diverse Program
During the one-and-a-half-day conference, attendees of the 8th edition of the FineWaters Summit enjoyed enlightening presentations from leading brands, distributors, water sommeliers, and chefs. The program delved into the rich history and narrative behind the premium water category, the strategic positioning of the brand, and addressed the global distribution challenges brands face. The event served as a platform for networking and knowledge exchange among industry leaders and water enthusiasts.
As the official partner of the 2024 Fine Waters Summit, it is worth highlighting Solán de Cabras' active participation through a presentation by Michael Tanousis, where the brand contributed its knowledge and experience in the sector and emphasized the importance of natural mineral water on the table, conducting a comparison with filtered water and conducting a tasting of preparations that highlighted its unique and balanced mineral composition. Additionally, Solán de Cabras has been the official water of the congress, and within that framework, today, Monday 29th, it will be part of a water tasting directed at the most prominent sommeliers of Euskadi.