12-08-2025
2025's Best Bottled Waters, According to Water Sommeliers
Evaluated for minerality, carbonation, and mouthfeel, these standout waters rose above more than 100 entries from 35 Points
The 2025 Fine Waters Taste & Design Awards evaluated more than 100 bottled waters from 35 countries, naming winners across categories based on minerality, carbonation, and origin.
Waters were judged by experts who assessed each bottle's taste, mouthfeel, pH, and terroir — highlighting that water, like wine, has unique characteristics based on its source.
Interest in fine bottled water is growing globally, with the premium market valued at $38.6 billion in this year, Fine Waters — a global platform dedicated to the curation and appreciation of premium bottled water — announced its 2025 Taste & Design Awards, naming the best bottled waters from around the world. The comprehensive competition, which evaluated more than 100 entries from 35 countries, was held during the organization's annual summit in Atlanta and brought together water professionals from across the industry.
Founded by Michael Mascha, Fine Waters is built around the idea that water, like wine, has terroir — a unique sense of place that influences its taste, texture, and mineral composition.
Mascha, who began exploring the nuances of bottled water after his doctor warned him that he could no longer continue drinking wine, wrote on the Fine Waters site that 'By paying thoughtful attention to what I was drinking, I discovered the world of fine bottled water. As I started drinking different waters during a single meal, apparent differences emerged.'
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Today, Fine Waters serves as both a hub for water connoisseurs and an educational resource for anyone curious about the premium bottled water category — from sourcing and sustainability to pairing suggestions. And at the organization's annual Taste & Design Awards, professionals in the industry come together to name the best bottles of the year.
A panel of six expert judges, including certified water sommeliers and water educators, weighed the top brands in each category. Here's exactly what the judges were seeking.
Which water brands won big this year?
Antipodes and Pure One, both hailing from New Zealand, took top honors in the low and medium minerality still categories, respectively.
Notably, Socosani from Peru took the top spots for both still and sparkling among waters with very high levels of minerality. The water is sourced from the snowmelt of the Chachani volcano in Arequipa, Peru, which eventually surfaces at a free-flowing spring. Fine Waters suggests pairing the bubbly version with applewood-smoked fish.
On the other end of the spectrum, the low-sodium and low-minerality Wossa received praise for the fifth year in a row, winning the gold among still, ultra-low minerality waters. It's 'surprisingly light,' according to Fine Waters, and bottled in the Lavanttal Valley in Waters Taste & Design Awards 2025: Gold Award Winners for Taste
STILL WATER
Super-low minerality: Wossa (Austria)
Low minerality: Antipodes (New Zealand)
Medium minerality: Pure One (New Zealand)
High minerality: Marzia (Italy)
Very high minerality: Socosani (Peru)
Curated: Vohena Deep Sea Water (South Korea)
SPARKLING WATER
Super-low minerality: Pure Mist (Australia)
Low minerality: Jaure (Sweden)
Medium minerality: Balbin (Czech Republic)
High minerality: Tehuacan (Mexico)
Very high minerality: Socosani (Peru)
Naturally carbonated, low to high minerality: Güitig (Ecuador)
Naturally carbonated, very high minerality: Vichy Catalan (Spain)How were the bottled waters ranked?
To determine the final rankings, the judges assessed each bottle's composition and flavor. Waters were ranked based on qualities such as minerality, balance (the degree of carbonation), whether they have added carbonation or natural carbonation (which occurs due to rare geological conditions), orientation (pH), hardness, and more.
Colorado-based water sommelier Anistacia Barber, who volunteered during the Fine Waters Society's 2022 summit, tells Food & Wine that this year's winners 'represent the incredible diversity and unique terroir of protected spring and mineral water sources.'
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'What stands out is the sheer quantity, quality, and distinctions of the selections,' Barber says. 'I believe these award-winning selections stand as a powerful testament to the careful, responsible stewardship of these precious land and water sources.'
Waters entered in the competition are categorized based on their mineral content, which refers to the total dissolved solids (TDS) or mineral concentration in the water. These dissolved solids contribute to the flavor and slight texture of the liquid.
Bottles are further categorized by whether or not they're carbonated, resulting in competitive sections like 'still, low minerality' and 'sparkling, high minerality.'
Who is interested in fine waters?
It's impossible to talk about fine bottled water without acknowledging the larger global context: one in three people around the world still lack access to clean drinking water. In that light, calling fine water a niche luxury is an understatement. While access to safe water is a fundamental human right, the idea of curating and tasting premium water remains the focus of a much smaller — and more privileged — audience.
Still, that audience is growing. According to Global Market Insights, the global premium bottled water market was valued at $38.6 billion in 2024 and continues to expand. Online communities, like a dedicated Reddit forum for water enthusiasts, have emerged to connect fans of the category. Water tasting, too, has become more formalized, with certified water sommelier training programs focused on detecting subtle differences in salinity, minerality, fizziness, and mouthfeel.
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Beyond that, interest in fine water has been trickling into the hospitality world. As Fine Waters notes, some restaurants — including Michelin-starred dining rooms — have begun offering curated water menus. A few bottles have even gained viral attention. Saratoga, for example, saw its cobalt-blue bottle surge in popularity after appearing in a creator's polished morning routine video series.
Whether or not luxury water becomes as mainstream as fine wine remains to be seen. But for those curious to explore the category, Fine Waters' top-ranked bottles offer a compelling place to start.
Read the original article on Food & Wine
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