Bottled Purity
By Laurence Civil
Thailand is a major consumer of bottled water.
According to the 2007 Water Marketing Corporation, as a country we
drank 5,803.8 million litres and as a bottled water consumer
Thailand is ranked 9th worldwide and 3rd in Asia behind China and
Indonesia. Per capita last year we consumed 89.33 litres of bottled
water.
With these sort of numbers it is hardly
surprising that there is such a wide selection of different waters
available; so how do you decide which one is right for you. Fine
Waters Balance (FWB) is a unique scale that assists consumers in
distinguishing fine, bottled water between varying degrees of
sparkling and still waters.
Mouthfeel, literally how something feels sitting
in our mouth is the most overlooked element of flavour, we are often
too busy focusing on taste and smell. These tastes, combined with
temperatures at which the water is served can subtly affect - and
ultimately enhance - the enjoyment of certain meals.
FWB is an excellent tool for matching food with
water working on the same principles we apply to matching wine with
food. Whether it is complementing or contrasting the textures of the
food against the Fine Waters Balance, the goal is to raise the
dining experience to a new level.
The Fine Water Balance has five levels ranging
from bold through to still. We are going to use it to identify the
characteristic of some of the most popular bottled waters available
here in Thailand.
Apollinaris
Buying a vineyard that could not produce grapes
in 1851 was a blessing in disguise for German winemaker Georg
Kreuzberg. A borehole in the vineyard showed traces of carbon
dioxide that spoilt; instead of cursing he simply switched business
from wine to water. A year later, he renamed the spring after St
Apollinaris; ironically the patron saint of wine whose statue was
standing nearby on a pilgrim trail to Remagen.
Apollinaris, naturally contains carbonation that
dissolves the mineral in the water resulting in higher
mineralization than in most other mineral waters. Natural
carbonation is alas responsible for the unmistakable elegant,
harmonious taste experience that has been described as ‘Clear as
crystal, soft as velvet and tingly as champagne’.
The Red Triangle of Apollinaris was
registered in London in 1885 as a trademark for water of the highest
quality. On October 1st 1894 the “Law of the Protection” came into
force, protecting the Red Triangle and the claim “The Queen of Table
Waters” throughout the German Empire. The description was initially
used on the “London Medical Record” in 1874 to emphasize the waters’
healing effect.
Apollinaris was the water of choice of royalty,
drunk by Prince Bismarck, Queen Victoria and the Emperor of Japan.
“A whisky with a small Polly” became a fashionable drink in British
high society at that time. It has been served in the White House,
onboard the Rio Grande & Western Railways plus debuted in the
world of fine hotels and gastronomy at the famous Hotel Wellington
in Belgium around 1905.
To enhance the drinking pleasure of this water,
Riedel designed a limited edition “Apollinaris Edition
Glass”. This was done in collaboration with both the chefs’
association “Jeunes Restaurateurs d´ Europe Deutschland”
(Young Restaurateurs of Europe – Germany) and the “Deutsche
Wein- und Sommelierschule” (German Wine and Sommelier School).
The criteria for the glass were functionality, design,
recognizability and compatibility with a renowned wine glass series;
the first glass designed for a bottled water brand.
San Benedetto
San Benedetto traces it’s history to the times of
the Republic of Venice when it was the favourite of aristocratic
Venetian families. The water trickles to its source from the
Dolomite glaciers, drawn from an artisan well at a depth of 300
metres in the town of Scorze in the Guizza area that is still in use
today.
The San Benedetto Mineral Water Spa was founded
in 1956, around the time the industrial use of the water bearing
layer commenced with the water being bottled in glass.
In the seventies the company changed ownership
which led to a new management period. In 1980 they were the first in
the Italian water industry to introduce bottling in plastic in a
variety of sizes.
Their frizante or sparkling water with a
low tds of 250 milligrams per litre is a classic Italian water with
small pearlage or bubbles. With a ph content of 7.6, the
taste is moving away from neutral with a hint of alkaline. The Fine
Water Balance grades this as an effervescent sophisticated water
that straddles the delightful line between Still and Light sparkling
waters. In some instances, these waters’ lose their "sparkle" very
quickly and some are almost "still”. Natural carbonation is achieved
by the waters’ contact with carbonic gas.
For maximum
enjoyment the frizante should be served between 4°C and
8°C. Still water from 4°C up to 18°C according to personal
taste; the benefit of not drinking water too cold are from: a lesser
shock to the palate as well as a benefit to the digestive system as
if the internal body temperature is reduced too dramatically it
would cause temporary indigestion.
A suitable glass for the water
should have a shape which allows the water to flow into your mouth
generously and be distributed as widely as possible onto the
tongue. This gives a refreshing sensation, the cleansing of
the all contact surfaces plus the highlighting of the natural
mineral content.
Perrier
The water
comes from a source under the limestone plains in Vergèze, a small
village in the south of France, 7kms southwest of Nimes.
The
story of the little green bottle commences in 1863 when a warrant
from Napoleon III granted the "Société de l'Etablissement Thermal
des Eaux Minérale de Vergèze" exclusive rights to exploit the water
underground. Facilities were built for making bottled water and for
bathing. The Spa was destroyed by fire in 1869, forcing the company
into bankruptcy.
The source had its second life when Monsieur
Rouvière and a doctor, Doctor Louis Perrier acquired the rights in
1894; Perrier acquired sole ownership four years later. Sir John
Harmsworth from England bought the company in 1903, renaming the
springs after Louis Perrier in recognition of his contribution to
their development. Taking the water became unfashionable; the spa
closed in 1903 and the focus switched to bottling the water with the
forming of "La Compagnie de la Source Perrier".
To strengthen the Perrier brand image the water
was bottled in pear-shaped bottles inspired by the Indian clubs
Harmsworth used to keep fit. Britain was his first market, started
by selling his bottled water to the British Army in India and then
by Royal warrant to Buckingham Palace. The name of the company
changed again in 1936 to "La Source Perrier S.A.". In 1947 it was
bought back by French owners led by Gustave Leven, his contribution
to the brand was that when he stepped down as President in 1990
Perrier was available worldwide. Two years later in 1992 it was
acquired by Nestle Water SA.
Perrier has big loud bubbles and is classified as
bold on the Fine Water Balance. A water that requires food with a
crisp or a lot of texture to stand up to the water, such as crispy
deep fried soft-shell crab or a hearty deep fried chicken.
Eau de Perrier is a delicate mineral water with a
light sparkle. The ideal serving temperature is at 12°C to ensure
that you take pleasure in a fresh bottle of Eau de Perrier, which
will enhance your dining experience due to its fine bubbles,
lightness and low salt taste. Allow this mineral water to bring
added gratification to your meal amid stylishness.
Vittel
Lawyer Louis Bouloumié bought the Gérémoy Spring
in the Vosges Mountains of eastern France in 1854 and founded the
Vittel Spa two years later. Spa-goers were rapidly won over by the
range of treatment. Mr. Bouloumié came up with the idea of bottling
Vittel's mineral water in allowing them to continue their treatment
at home, giving rise to the creation of the "Société Générale des
Eaux Minérales de Vittel" (SGEMV) in 1882.
They bottled their millionth bottle in June 1898,
fifty-three years later, in January 1951; production had reached 100
million bottles. An innovative company, Vittel revolutionized the
industry when it launched the first PVC bottle in May 1968. A year
later, Nestlé acquired a 30% stake in the company when it was
France’s third largest mineral water company.
Since the 1970s, the company's success has been
built on the concept of vitality. The company produced its billionth
bottle in October 1990. In 1992, Nestlé bought the remaining shares
in the company. Now it is one of the world's top ten best-selling
brands.
Vosges has a continental climate, it is hot in
the summer and cold in the winter. Rainfall is abundant at roughly
900 mm a year on average or a substantial amount each day. Part of
the rainwater slowly drains into the underground table, aiding to
keep it freshly supplied over the years. Vittel is a neutral tasting
low sodium mineral water with balanced levels of calcium, potassium,
magnesium, and sulphate. The image of vitality is presented in the
pure transparent bottles with an elegant silver label.
S.Pellegrino
In the 19th Century the town S.Pellegrino in the
mountains north of Milan became a favourite meeting place for
European aristocrats to indulge in their high society ritual of
“passing of waters”. Elegant hotels, luxurious homes, restaurants
and fashionable cafes were built along the banks of Brembo River.
Three particular buildings of that era still remain; the Grand
Hotel, the former Municipal Casino and the Palazzo della Fonte, an
opulent marbled drinking hall that is a monument to the tradition of
"taking the waters”.
In 1899 the S.Pellegrino water bottling company
was founded. Initially, elegant bottles of S. Pellegrino water were
ordered by those who had “taken the water” but within a few years it
had gained a world wide reputation; in 1920 Argentina alone imported
something like 2 million bottles. Since then, up until today it is
the most visible bottled drinking water to be seen on the tables of
fine dining gourmets.
S.Pellegrino mineral water gushes out at a
temperature of approximately 25°C. The water arrives at the surface
along a route over which it becomes naturally enriched with 14
mineral salts, including the essential calcium and magnesium. The
water acquires its “Peralage” plus taste from a carbonate
originating from a natural mine.
In the glass it looks brilliant, free from any
distracting odours with a fair dense of reasonably fine bubbles in
abundance. The immediate taste is of tingling freshness, followed by
moderate acidity to stimulate salivation, while the high mineral
content leaves a pleasant after taste.
It is classified on the Fine Water Balance as
classic and goes well with any type of food. It should be served at
between 8 -10° C in a glass that is narrower at the mouth than at
the base. Nothing should be added to the water; however, waiters are
encouraged to serve a slice of lemon or lime in a dish so that
customers can add if they wish to.
.
|
