Water Becomes Wine (Almost)

You're at this fancy restaurant. The sommelier walks over with a leather-bound menu and says, "Tonight I recommend the Tasmanian rainwater to pair with your dessert. It has floral notes with a crisp finish."

And you're thinking, "Did this person just try to sell me $300 water like it's a vintage Bordeaux?"

Welcome to 2025, where water sommeliers are a real thing, and some bottles cost more than monthly rent.

What is a water sommelier? Water sommeliers now curate H2O tastings with the same passion as wine experts, swirling premium bottled water in stemmed glasses and "chewing" the water to detect subtle flavors across their entire palate.

*Water Sommeliers Doran Binder, Joe Rawlins, Simon Urborne. Pic Credit: Shaw and Shaw/The Guardian*

And certified water sommeliers are dead serious about their craft.

How water got terroir (not Terror… I, too, learned a new vocab word writing this one)

"Like wine, water has terroir, it leaks out minerality from the different stone layers because water is the universal solvent," explains Martin Riese, the world's "most famous water sommelier". (But shoutout to my personal favorite, Milin Patel, who I recently interviewed on my water podcast :) )

Here's the science behind how water gets its flavor: as rainwater seeps through soil and rock, it picks up natural minerals from different stone layers. Those minerals create distinct flavors that are unique to specific regions around the world.

And that's how Fiji water actually tastes different from Evian…simply because of where it came from underground. This explains the real differences in flavor between these mineral water brands beyond just marketing.

The $17,000 question

Some restaurants now offer water menus in restaurants with bottles ranging from $8 to more than $17,000, with water sommelier Carlos Crespo Lorenzo creating the world's largest water menu featuring 150 different waters from 33 countries.

Seventeen. Thousand. Dollars. For water. Making it arguably the most expensive bottled water in the world.

The Fine Water Academy now certifies professional water sommeliers through their certification program and hosts annual summits where these water experts evaluate water based on mineral content, pH, and mouthfeel.

Although I'm not a huge fan of the bottled water industry, the global premium bottled water market was valued at $38.6 billion in 2024 and continues to expand, so apparently enough people are buying into this to keep it profitable. But why premium bottled water is so expensive still baffles many people.

What they're actually tasting

Water sommeliers evaluate mineral content (TDS in water - total dissolved solids), which determines the taste of the water. Some high-mineral waters are so complex that sommeliers sip them from wine glasses like liquor.

*Simon Usborne is looking intently at a glass of water. Pic Credit: Shaw and Shaw/The Guardian*

Smart Water has a TDS of 28, while Spanish water Vichy Catalan clocks in at 3,053 - with around 1,000mg of sodium giving it a salty taste that pairs well with red meat.

Fun/nearly unbelievable fact: Martin Riese first noticed his talent at age five when he started commenting on the different qualities of European tap water while on family vacations.

This guy was basically a water tasting prodigy before he could tie his shoes.

The restaurant revolution

Michelin-starred restaurants are building entire revenue streams around curated water menus, with fine water becoming the go-to non-alcoholic pairing for tasting menus. These best water pairings for food are becoming as sophisticated as wine selections.

Jessica Altieri, America's first certified water sommelier, works at Florie's in Palm Beach, helping diners choose water pairings for their meals through her extensive water knowledge.

Think about that for a second. Someone's full-time job is helping you pick which water goes best with your seafood course.

The ultimate water flex

The most outlandish client request Riese ever received was someone ordering a $150 bottle of Svalbardi water and then asking for ice cubes and a lemon slice.

That's like buying a Ferrari and immediately covering it in bumper stickers.

The reality check

Look, I get that different waters taste different. Anyone who's traveled knows that drinking water varies wildly by location.

But charging five figures for something that is piped directly into your home feels a bit absurd.

Then again, with 2025's Fine Waters Taste & Design Awards evaluating over 100 bottles from 35 countries, clearly there's a market for people who want to turn hydration into a luxury experience. The water vs wine tasting trends show people are embracing these experiences.

Maybe in a world where we Instagram our breakfast and turn everything into content, treating water like wine was inevitable.

Water sommeliers say, "Water is not just water. Water is a natural product that comes from a real place. Water has terroir like wine, and water can hold experiences, and water gives you wellness"

I mean, when you put it that way, it almost sounds reasonable. Because it's true.

Water is life. And the more eyeballs (and tongues/mouths?) we bring to the water industry, the more people can appreciate just how special this magical molecule truly is. The connection between water and wellness becomes clearer when you think about it this way.