Market Grows for Costly 'Fine Water'
2023-11-29
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1At a meeting in April in Athens, Greece, drink experts looked carefully at the liquid in their glasses.
2They held them up to the light.
3They tasted and, sometimes, spit them out into containers.
4And they discussed the mineral content and purity.
5But these experts were not tasting wine. Instead, they were tasting "fine water."
6The experts are members of the Fine Water Society.
7They had come together in Athens for the yearly tasting competition.
8Their activity reflects the growing market for luxury water-with some bottles costing over $100 per liter.
9Companies collect the so-called "fine water" from sources such as volcanic rock in Hawaii, melting ice from glaciers in Norway, and drops of mist from forests in the Amazon or the island of Tasmania.
10The most costly water is sold in bottles made with special glass painted with artwork.
11At their meeting, Fine Water Society members learned about the environments from which the water is collected.
12And they compare the total dissolved solids, or TDS.
13Waters with a low TDS are like rain that has not yet touched the earth.
14Those with high TDS - such as Vichy mineral water from hot springs in France and Catalonia, in northeastern Spain - have high mineral content that may include calcium, magnesium, potassium or sodium, among others.
15A few restaurants in countries such as Spain and the United States now have menus that match food with certain kinds of fine water.
16Water with high TDS, for example, might go with beef. Low TDS, more like rainwater, might go with fish.
17Ganesh Iyer is an Indian businessman who has worked in the beverage, or drink, industry for years.
18After he saw increased interest in non-alcoholic drinks, he studied to become a drink expert, also known as a water sommelier.
19He is now the managing partner of Veen Waters India.
20The company bottles natural mineral water in the Himalayan country of Bhutan and sends it by truck to India.
21Veen Waters is mostly served in costly hotels and restaurants.
22It costs $6 a bottle, about a day's pay for an Indian laborer.
23Veen Waters is exporting about 240,000 bottles of water into India each month.
24Iyer thinks the company has reached only about 10 percent of the possible market so far.
25The story of water, however, is very different for many people in India.
26The World Bank reports that India is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world.
27To get more water, the country has built huge plants to remove salt from seawater.
28Other countries, including Singapore, are collecting and cleaning up storm and wastewater to try to solve their water problems.
29But these kinds of solutions are only used in some places, and the increasing need for water could lead to more disagreements.
30At the same time, those in the fine water industry see their activity as part of an effort to protect the environment and its clean water.
31Michael Mascha is a co-founder of the Fine Water Society.
32He told The Associated Press, "I think what we do is we raise the awareness of water - and if you cherish something, you're more likely to protect it."
33I'm Andrew Smith
1At a meeting in April in Athens, Greece, drink experts looked carefully at the liquid in their glasses. They held them up to the light. They tasted and, sometimes, spit them out into containers. And they discussed the mineral content and purity. 2But these experts were not tasting wine. Instead, they were tasting "fine water." 3The experts are members of the Fine Water Society. They had come together in Athens for the yearly tasting competition. Their activity reflects the growing market for luxury water-with some bottles costing over $100 per liter. 4Companies collect the so-called "fine water" from sources such as volcanic rock in Hawaii, melting ice from glaciers in Norway, and drops of mist from forests in the Amazon or the island of Tasmania. The most costly water is sold in bottles made with special glass painted with artwork. 5At their meeting, Fine Water Society members learned about the environments from which the water is collected. And they compare the total dissolved solids, or TDS. 6Waters with a low TDS are like rain that has not yet touched the earth. Those with high TDS - such as Vichy mineral water from hot springs in France and Catalonia, in northeastern Spain - have high mineral content that may include calcium, magnesium, potassium or sodium, among others. 7A few restaurants in countries such as Spain and the United States now have menus that match food with certain kinds of fine water. Water with high TDS, for example, might go with beef. Low TDS, more like rainwater, might go with fish. 8Ganesh Iyer is an Indian businessman who has worked in the beverage, or drink, industry for years. After he saw increased interest in non-alcoholic drinks, he studied to become a drink expert, also known as a water sommelier. 9He is now the managing partner of Veen Waters India. The company bottles natural mineral water in the Himalayan country of Bhutan and sends it by truck to India. Veen Waters is mostly served in costly hotels and restaurants. It costs $6 a bottle, about a day's pay for an Indian laborer. 10Veen Waters is exporting about 240,000 bottles of water into India each month. Iyer thinks the company has reached only about 10 percent of the possible market so far. 11Water-stressed India 12The story of water, however, is very different for many people in India. 13The World Bank reports that India is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. To get more water, the country has built huge plants to remove salt from seawater. Other countries, including Singapore, are collecting and cleaning up storm and wastewater to try to solve their water problems. 14But these kinds of solutions are only used in some places, and the increasing need for water could lead to more disagreements. 15At the same time, those in the fine water industry see their activity as part of an effort to protect the environment and its clean water. 16Michael Mascha is a co-founder of the Fine Water Society. He told The Associated Press, "I think what we do is we raise the awareness of water - and if you cherish something, you're more likely to protect it." 17I'm Andrew Smith 18Martha Irvine wrote this story for The Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19__________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21purity -n. clearness, being without unwanted elements or aspects 22luxury -n. something expensive which is not necessary but which gives pleasure 23mist -n. very small drops of water in the air, similar to fog 24dissolved -adj. mixed into a liquid 25menu -n. a list of food and drink at a restaurant 26manage -v. to direct or be in charge of 27awareness -n. knowledge of something and having it in mind 28cherish -v. to highly value or appreciate