by Steve Rowe
Barcelona,
December 2004 At 120
litres per year, Spain is the fourth largest per capita consumer of mineral
water in the world, and its set to overtake Italy and France within the next
five years (source: ANEABE*). Despite the size of
Spain’s home
market its most famous mineral waters are little know internationally. Perhaps
its Spain’s image
as a dry, sun-baked land that makes it difficult to believe there are
spectacular mountainous regions overflowing with outstanding mineral waters.
Spain has three
important mineral water regions, each with its own distinct flavours and
traditions.
The
fiercely independent north-eastern province of
Catalonia is the
nation’s largest producer of mineral water. In the foothills of the
Pyrenees it boasts
the venerable Vichy Catalan, perhaps the only internationally know brand and
loved by gourmets in New
York,
London and
Paris for its
distinctive taste. On Spain’s wet and
windy north-eastern coast the lush green hills of
Galicia and
Asturias face the
Atlantic
Ocean and are
home to the fine spas of Mondariz and Cabreiroa. Most surprising of all are the
excellent mineral waters of Spain’s
southern province, Andalucia; where the heat of the semi-desert contrasts with
the snow capped mountains and clear springs of the Sierra
Nevada.
In stark contrast to the Italians and Germans, 95% of Spaniards
prefer to drink still mineral water. The origins of this cultural difference are
difficult to find but there is no doubt that Spaniards take their mineral waters
very seriously indeed. The properties of individual waters are the subject of
fierce debate and in a restaurant it’s not unusual to hear mineral waters
discussed just like a fine wine or cognac.
Vichy Catalan has been instrumental in helping to promote a
greater awareness of mineral waters. Their innovative “El Portal del Agua” - The
Water Gateway (www.elportaldelagua.com ) has been created together with The Spanish Academy of
Gastronomy and The Spanish Nutritional Foundation to increase understanding of
mineral water in cooking, health and society in
general.
Other
examples of how seriously mineral water is taken in
Spain are two
sumptuously illustrated books produced by the illustrious Academia Española de
Gastronomia – The Spanish Academy of Gastronomy. Currently only available in
Spanish: “El Agua en la Cocina de Futuro” – Water in cooking of the future, and;
“Agua, El Arte de Buen Comer” – Water, the Art of Good Eating are genuinely
innovative works that raise mineral waters to new levels of imagination and
quality.
Despite
more than 100 different brands, Spain’s mineral
waters are still relatively undiscovered. But perhaps
Spain’s growing
reputation for cuisine - The New York Times called Ferran Adria’s “El Bulli” on the
Costa
Brava, the best
restaurant in the world - will lead to a reappraisal not just of Spanish food
but of the fine waters the country has to offer.
*ANEABE,
Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Aguas de Bebida Envasadas (National
Association of Bottled Water Producers)
|
The Water Connoisseur
