The FineWaters Balance

“Tasting is an intelligent act that requires an aptitude, preparation and memory.”

-- Italian Sommelier Association manual

Although the association manual is speaking of wine, no doubt the same principles hold true with fine water tasting.

FineWaters.com is the voice for water connoisseurs and their accompanying lifestyle.  With the growing popularity of bottled water, the FineWaters Balance provides a simple scale to define the differences among various bottled waters.  The FineWaters Balance is designed to become an easily understood standard in restaurants and among those looking to differentiate waters -- and to identify bottled waters they have not yet tasted. 
 
Certainly the differences among fine waters are subtle.  But FineWaters believes discrete differences do exist among fine waters, and that understanding these differences can enhance the experience of drinking them. 
 
The FineWaters Balance was created to help water drinkers appreciate the difference between the "large," "loud" bubbles of a sparkling water such as Perrier or Ty Nant vs. the effervescent small bubbles of a Badoit or Voss sparkling water.  By applying other factors to this scale -– such as an "optimum" drinking temperature and stemware -- the FineWaters Balance adds additional layers that draw yet another distinction to the waters.  Integrating these factors can begin to enhance the fine water experience even more.  

Serving all waters at the same temperature –- say, 55°F -- nicely showcases the differences in the waters.  It is then possible to observe that a slight increase in temperature has a calming effect on waters with the larger, louder bubbles.  This enables consumers to better pair the waters with food presentation and establish a true dialog between fine food and fine water. 

In general, the colder the water the more focused it will be; by contrast, a slightly warmer temperature tends to open up the water and allows the consumer to sample its subtle taste.  There is nothing wrong with drinking water at almost any temperature but a little experimentation can provide a great deal of epicurean delight in the consumption of water. 

FineWaters Balance
Bold
Waters with a Bold Balance are sparkling waters with large, loud bubbles. These waters typically have a high amount of carbonation, and are represented by such brands as Perriere, Ty Nant, Calistoga, ....
Best Temperature for Serving:	62°F | 17°C
Waters:	Perriere, Ty Nant, Calistoga, ...
Classic
Waters with a balance of Classic are sparkling waters with a medium to small sized bubble. These waters are typically "lighter" and would be represented by popular brands such as Appolinaris, Gerolsteiner, San Pellegrino, ...
Best Temperature for Serving:	60°F | 16°C
Waters:	Appolinaris, Gerolsteiner, San Pellegrino, ..
Light
These waters are sparkling waters, and have even a smaller bubble than that of the Classic. These waters are some of the lightest of the sparkling waters. They would be represented by popular brands such as Sole, Galvanina, Ramlosa, Blu, ...
Best Temperature for Serving:	58°F | 14°C
Waters:	Sole, Galvanina, Ramlosa, Blu, ...
Effervescent
Waters with a Fine Balance have the smallest bubble. In some instances these waters lose their "sparkle" very quickly - and some are almost "still". There are not many brands in this category - and they tend to be the more expensive sparkling waters. They are represented by brands such as Badoit, Voss, Highland spring, Hildon, ...
Best Temperature for Serving:	56°F | 13°C
Waters:	Badoit, Voss, Highland spring, Hildon, ...
Still
Waters with a still balance are the still, or flat waters. While there can be subtle taste differences in still water, these differences are primarily in what defines the brand. In other words more "varietal" effects take over between still waters that will define them as "mineral water", "distilled" or "spring water".
Best Temperature for Serving:	54°F | 12°C
Waters:	Any

Conducting a little tasting along the FineWaters Balance gives consumers the best introduction to the surprising richness of epicurean experiences with water. 

FineWaters suggests that as bottled water grows in popularity, fine restaurants will begin to recognize the need for maintaining a stock of one of each kind of water.  It's important to note that there is no explicit or implied scale of "quality" associated with the FineWaters Balance.  It is merely a "balance" of waters -- and how FineWaters recommends that bottled waters can be enjoyed more fully.  

"Tasting for a technician is a difficult and very important matter, but at the same time it is fascinating. Each time the consumer approaches wine, any meal or social gathering can become a moment of tasting, even if only for pure pleasure."