Key Concepts

Minerality +

Super Low <50mg/l
Low 50-250mg/l
Medium 250-800mg/l
High 800-1500mg/l
Very High >1500mg/l

Balance (carbonation) +

Still
Effervescent
Light
Medium
Bold

Orientation (pH) +

Acidic pH 5-6.7
Neutral pH 6.7-7.3
Hint of Sweet pH 7.3-7.8
Alkaline pH 7.8-10

Hardness +

Soft
0 - 17.1 mg/l

Slightly Hard
17.1 - 60mg/l

Moderately Hard
60 -120mg/l

Hard
120 -180mg/l

Very Hard
180mg/l & over

Virginality +

Superior 0 - 1mg/l
Very Good 1 - 4mg/l
Good 4 - 7mg/l
Acceptable 7 - 10 mg/l
Potable10 -50 mg/l

Added Carbonation +

Most artificially carbonated waters have 1 to 10g/l of carbon dioxide. Current carbonation techniques involve pressurizing carbon dioxide before adding it to the water — the pressure increases the amount of carbon dioxide that will dissolve.

Natural Carbonation +

Certain rare geological conditions can produce naturally carbonated water. The origin of the CO2 is either organic matter degradation, interaction with carbonates, metamorphic devolatilization, or magmatic degassing (volcanic activity).

Sources of Water

Spring +

More bottled waters claim springs as their origin than any other type of source. Spring waters vary widely in their mineral composition and TDS level, both of which are influenced by the geology of the local area. What all true, free-flowing springs have in common is that they're gravity-driven.

Artesian +

An artesian aquifer is under pressure. The aquifer is usually surrounded by impermeable rock. The pressure built up in an aquifer will push water to the surface and create a permanent fountain when an artesian aquifer is tapped.

Well +

Non-artesian wells need mechanical pumps to bring water from the aquifer to the surface.

Rain +

Recently, companies began bottling rainwater falling in remote, unpolluted parts of the world. Several of these waters come from Tasmania and Chile, where air pollution is exceptionally low.

Hardness +

About 20,000 years ago, the Earth was one-third covered by glaciers, the remains of which are now being tapped as a source for bottled water.

Iceberg +

An exciting new source for bottled water is melted ice from icebergs. Most icebergs in the North Atlantic Ocean come from the major glaciers of West Greenland.

Clouds +

We also have water from condensation bottled and sold. In Chile, fog forms on the shore and then moves inland in the form of cloud banks. The locals call it "camanchaca." Fog is basically tiny drops of water that are so light they don't yet fall as rain.

Deep Sea +

As they do today, icebergs near Greenland melted thousands of years ago, and the water produced was of a different temperature and salinity than the surrounding seawater. This difference kept the water separate from the surrounding water as it sank to the ocean floor. It now circles the Earth every several thousand years.

Condensation +

The production of drinking water from humidity is an innovative water extraction solution that tackles the growing problem of access to clean and safe drinking water in remote areas. Entrepreneurs have used the technology to bring us exotic waters from remote and pristine regions of the planet.

Curated +

Probably as old as winemaking itself is the idea of a cuvée. We can now also have water cuvées. Nevas from Germany is probably the first water cuvée, with two mineral waters blended and carbonated, in a stunning champagne bottle with a wire-cork presentation.

TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026

The TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026 will be held on May 15th, 2026, in Montreal, Canada.

A five-judge panel of professional, experienced international water sommeliers will be the jury of the TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026.

Water is not just water. It has terroir, comes from a real place, and has character. Representing the Fine Water Category, FineWaters and the Fine Water Society developed the blueprint for conducting water tastings, which is the professional industry standard.

The events in Montreal are sponsored by Thunderbird Spirit Water @thunderbirdh2o - inviting you to Refresh Your Spirit - and locally supported by Cellart @cellart.ca - creating tailor-made wine & water spaces that challenge the ordinary.

TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026

Taste Awards

STILL Super Low minerality
Gold: EIRA (Norway)
Silver: Lofoten Arctic Water (Norway)
Bronze: Montarcher (France)

STILL Low Minerality
Gold: Rubuchaka (China)
Silver: Antipodes (New Zealand)
Bronze: Babulong (Taiwan)

STILL Medium Minerality
Gold: Pure One (New Zealand)
Silver: Perla Moldovei (Romania)
Bronze: NERA (Australia)

STILL High Minerality
Gold: Three Bays (Australia)
Silver: Marzia (Italy)

STILL Very High Minerality
Gold: One Tree (Australia)
Silver: Socosani (Peru)

STILL CURATED
Gold: Wilderness Mountain First ()
Silver: Vohena Deep Sea Water (South Korea)

SPARKLING Super Low Minerality
Gold: Wossa (Austria)
Silver: Blue Spring Living Water (USA)
Bronze: Montarcher (France)
Bronze: Lofoten Arctic Water (Norway)

SPARKLING Low Minerality
Gold: Eau Altitude (Canada)
Silver: Pure Mist Spring (Australia)
Bronze: Antipodes (New Zealand)
Bronze: Panama Blue (Panama)

SPARKLING Medium Minerality
Gold: Beloka Water (Australia)
Silver: Vellamo (Finland)
Bronze: Suon (Kazakhstan)

SPARKLING High Minerality
Gold: Doubia (Greece)
Silver: Tehuacan (Mexico)
Bronze: Marzia (Italy)
Bronze: Three Bays (Australia)

SPARKLING Very High Minerality
Gold: Socosani (Peru)

SPARKLING Naturally Carbonated (Low to High)
Gold: Orezza (France)
Silver: Güitig (Ecuador)

SPARKLING Naturally Carbonated (Very High)
Gold: ROI (Slovenia)
Silver: Vichy Catalan (Spain)

SPARKLING Curated
Gold: Wilderness Mountain (USA)
Silver: Jeju Sparkling Water (South Korea)

Sparkling Ester
Gold: Balbin (Czech Republic)

Design Awards

GLASS
Gold: Fromin (Czech Republic)
Silver: Balbin (Czech Republic)
Bronze : Vellamo (Finland)

PET
Gold: Fromin (Czech Republic)
Silver: Miocin (Vietnam)
Bronze: OSE (Norway)

ALUMINUM
Gold: Perlage (Poland)
Silver: CHORQ (UK)
Bronze: Wilderness Mountain (USA)

TETRA
Gold: Theoni (Greece)

Bag in Box
Gold: Mountain Falls (South Africa)
Silver: Thunderbird (Canada)
Bronze: OSE (Norway)

Jury TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026

Here are the Rules and Competition Categories.

We expect close to 1,000 bottles for the event. To ensure your waters are received, identified, and included in the competitions, please download the PDF and follow these instructions.

Water is not Just Water

"Fine Water is a natural product with terroir that holds experiences and creates wellness."

Dr. Michael Mascha

Key Concepts

Minerality +

Balance (carbonation) +

Orientation (pH) +

Hardness +

Virginality +

Added Carbonation +

Natural Carbonation +

Sources of Water

Spring +

Artesian +

Well +

Rain +

Hardness +

Iceberg +

Clouds +

Deep Sea +

Condensation +

Curated +

Latest Additions

TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026

Awards 2026

Taste Awards

Design Awards

Jury 2026

Rules & Categories

Shipping Instructions

Water is not Just Water

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