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The ultimate source of water is always rain, much of what we drink today is rainwater that fell hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Bottled waters in Europe are generally both natural mineral waters or spring waters, in other continents prepared drinking water is more common. Bottled drinking water may be of various origin surfaces or industrial water produced, which is generally cleaned and disinfected, free from minerals, or added to it. In hospitality, we can find natural mineral water, spring water, prepared water, tap water, flavored and medicinal water. Tap water is consumed in a number of restaurants, hotels, and even offices with modern filtering equipment, delivering high quality, even in custom design bottles. 

Natural mineral water and spring water originate solely from the groundwater protected water layer. Groundwater, which is generated from rain and melting snow is transmitted to the surface through underground layers of rock. The rocks protect the water from surface contamination as a natural filter. One of the defining characteristics of natural mineral water and spring waters is its naturalness. They originate from underground water sources and must be safe to drink at the source, in their natural state, without prior disinfection or chemical treatment. Characteristic constituents, represented by the main minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, chloride, sodium, sulfate) giving the water its natural balance and taste, must remain unaltered from the point of origin at the source right bottled directly to the final consumer. However, natural mineral water must guarantee a stable mineral composition as indicated on the label whereas the mineral composition of spring water may fluctuate. The chemical composition of spring water need not be stated on the label. Prepared water: those that undergo approved physical and chemical treatments as necessary to make them drinkable.

By their origin (source) there are different types of natural bottled waters. You can meet with artesian, spring, rain, karst, glacier, iceberg, deep-sea and well waters as well:

• artesian water: is a high pressured water located in aquifer surrounded by impermeable rock, typically made of sandstone or other porous rocks or sediment and separated by at least one waterproof coating from the first aquifer. Usually comes from deeper layers.
• spring water: comes from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the Earth's surface. It must be bottled at the place of origin, treated with no others than mineral water approved procedures, and only carbon dioxide can be added. However, its composition does not have to be permanent and does not have to be officially recognized. Typically originates from not so deep.
• rainwater: is cleaner than much natural water, after proper filtration and neutralization, is one of the best thirst quenchers, which does not contain so much-dissolved mineral.
• karst water: is the type of groundwater that is located between the karstified rock layers of the soil. In the case of covered karst water, the roofing rocks, by their watertight nature, prevent the precipitation of surface water into the karst water base. Because of its natural purity, this karst water is a great value.
• glacier water: is an ice mass made of snow, which produces a slow, continuous sliding motion due to the heavy loads of snow, low temperatures, and terrain. Glacier water is old water, sometimes formed more than seventeen thousand years ago. Typically, it has an extremely low mineral content and is similar in taste and other qualities to rainwater.
• iceberg water: is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off a glacier or a land ice cover and is floating freely in open water. Snow frozen for thousands of years was packed into immense ice walls without dirt. The pieces of the iceberg drifting off the ocean, begin to melt, but before they merge with the ocean, collect and bottleneck. The natural, pure water thus obtained is low in mineral content and is really special. Iceberg water is the most technically challenging and physically hazardous bottled water to produce. Specially equipped boats are required to lift the ice out of the sea and return it to shore for rinsing, melting, and bottling. There are only a few places in the world where icebergs are harvested: the remote arctic coasts of the Svalbard Archipelago, western Greenland, and eastern Canada.
• deep-sea water: is due to a special natural phenomenon. Huge icebergs melted into the ocean thousands of years ago, the water was born this way had different temperature and salinity as the surrounding seawater. This difference kept the water separate as it sank to the ocean floor, it now circles Earth every several thousand years. The water obtained from the sea flow is subjected to a multi-stage filtration process after purification and testing, which purifies and sterilizes it simultaneously.
• well water: needs mechanical pumps to bring water from the aquifer to the surface. Most people don’t think highly of well water, so labels rarely trumpet such an origin. But this negative public opinion is unfair, as many blind water tastings favor well water over spring and artesian. Well-water is similar to spring water in its wide range of TDS and mineral composition, excellent drinking water, thus there are some very well known brands bottling waters sourced from wells. 

What is TDS? TDS stands for total dissolved solids. It measures the mineral composition of any given water, which results in creating its own specific flavor profile and character. TDS levels determine how much sodium, magnesium, calcium, and other minerals are present. The current mineral water directive divides the waters into five groups. Super law mineral content: 0-50 mg/l, law 50-250 mg/l, medium 250-800 mg/l, high 800-1500 mg/l and very high 1500 mg/l over. Different minerals of water are good for our health. The dairy allergens may be replaced by the intake of mineral water rich in calcium. There is more calcium in the body than any other mineral. It is used to maintain strong bones and teeth and keep your heart beating regularly. Calcium also aids in muscle activity and the transmission of nerve signals. Magnesium plays an important role in the stimulation of muscle cells, protects against thrombosis and muscle cramps, so it is worth consuming magnesium-rich waters. Magnesium is known as the anti-stress mineral. It is essential for maintaining the equilibrium between our muscular and nervous systems. It is also important for converting blood sugar into energy. Magnesium is also useful in fighting osteoporosis and kidney stones. The sulfate content of the water stimulates digestion. Drinking water containing hydrogen carbonate neutralizes the acids. Silicon is an indispensable component of the ribbons, tendons, and strong connective tissues, most commonly consumed with mineral water. Best to choose nitrate-free or very low nitrate-containing water. Nitrite is produced as a result of the reaction of nitrate dissolving in the water which can cause oxygen deficiency in the body, inhibiting iodine uptake, which may lead to thyroid variations.

The scientifically proven fact that cold water is better tasted if you want to feel the real taste of water, drink it at 9-11 degrees Celsius, because dissolved gases, aromas, and flavors can be more noticeable, this is the ideal drinking temperature for water. When you chill down water completely, you’re getting rid of all the aromas. It’s the same with wine.

Mineral water has its own vocabulary, as do chocolate, wine, and tea. Classification of global impressions relating to water is:

• hard or soft: in the first case, water has a strong impression, its aromas fill the mouth. In the latter case, there is no particular sensation
• balanced: the different sensations and taste features are in harmony and in the right proportion
• fresh: pleasant sensation and cooling effect in the mouth
• long or short: depending on whether or not the water leaves a lasting effect in-mouth once swallowed.
• acid or alkaline: according to whether the tongue senses an acid taste or the contrary
• sweet: the water has an alkaline taste with a hint of a sweet taste
• mineral: the water is without movement and has a flinty taste
• salty: the water has a dominating salty taste, either due to a high chloride and sodium content or due to high mineral content.

The pH-value describes the acid content of a fluid. It can vary between 0 and 14:

• Extremely acid: less than 4.5
• Very strongly acid: 4.5 - 5.0
• Strongly acid: 5.1 - 5.5
• Moderately acid: 5.6 - 6.0
• Slightly acid: 6.1 - 6.5
• Neutral: 6.6 - 7.3
• Slightly alkaline: 7.4 - 7.8
• Moderately alkaline: 7.9 - 8.4
• Strongly alkaline: 8.5 - 9.0
• Very strongly alkaline: more than 9.1

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Pairing mineral water with food is very important because waters have different flavors. Perfect water and food pairing is a much-desired objective that helps bring out the most in food, but it mustn’t be forgotten, the most in water, as well. 75 percent of the pairing importance should be about the mouthfeel of the water, as measured by the carbonation. Big loud boldly carbonated waters can overwhelm subtle dishes, but would go well with crispy food, for example. He pairs the level of carbonation with the overall mouthfeel of the entire dish. The next 20 percent pairing is matching the dominant food in the dish (rather than the overall dish) with the water's mineral content. Water with high mineral content has weight to it and can be paired with big flavors like grilled beef, lamb, and hard cheeses. The final 5 percent of pairing is fine-tuning the experience with the water's pH level. Waters that are slightly alkaline (basic) can be perceived as sweet, and highly alkaline water can taste slightly bitter. Acidic waters go with fatty food or seafood.

Pairing the water with the carefully matched wine with your dish is also very important. White wine with still water that has a low mineral content and neutral pH, while red wine can be paired with still water with medium to high mineral content, but still a neutral pH. When we're serving wine at the meal, you need to match the water to the wine instead. The water should have a slightly higher temperature than the wine to prevent taking attention away from the wine. Think about stemware too, most reputable producers of wineglass series offer water glasses that complement the wine glasses.

There are more and more water sommeliers worldwide. The first water sommelier school in the world can be found in Munich at Doemens Savour Academy, dedicated to building knowledge about the variety of genuine tastes available in various mineral waters. The second school is also in Germany, then one is in Italy, one is in China and one exists in South Korea. Besides now you can train with the people that created the category and worked in the profession at the Fine Water Academy as well. A series of courses will give you the foundation and advanced knowledge to prepare you for your certification process with Martin Riese and Michael Mascha. At hotel bars or restaurants, a water sommelier presents the mineral waters to the guests and helps to choose the matching water to ordered dishes as well as wine or coffee. He is responsible for the perfect presentation of the waters. The water sommelier acts as a contact person, to inform clients about the differences in types and explains the positive effect individual waters can have on human health. He helps the clients choose the best water for his personal needs, furthermore, the water sommelier is in charge of presentations and sales promotions. In a mineral water plant, the water sommelier is mainly focused on marketing and distribution. He informs and advises clients from gastronomy and trade about the special characteristics and merits of the own water brands. 

There are water tasting competitions worldwide where award-winning brands get serious prestige by the prize. The most prestigious water tasting competition in the world is held in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, USA in every February. The Superior Taste Award is the "Michelin Guide of food". It is a powerful marketing tool that is used to communicate about the products and the company's success, in both domestically and internationally. Its visibility of the label brings an immediate differentiation amongst the vast product choices on the marketplace and reassures consumers in their buying decision. The usage of the award is licensed for a period of 3 years. China International High-End Drinking Water Expo and Water Tasting competition is also an important event. Water deserves attention and the FineWaters International Water Tasting Competition is conducted with a judging panel of professional and experienced international water sommeliers and experts. Water is not just water. It has terroir, comes from a real place, and has character. 

Since 22 March of 1994, this day is the day of the water in the world. It has an important message to save water and we all must protect it because our stocks are finite. 

There is a museum in London with a collection of publicly donated water and accompanying stories accumulating over some years in different sites worldwide. The Museum of Water is an invitation to ponder our precious liquid and how we use it. 

There is a Museum of Bottled Water housed in Kansas City, Missouri. It began as a domestic collection of over 300 unique, unopened bottled waters from around the world featuring labels from across the globe with an emphasis on US branding.

Water is the soul of Earth, the mirror of our minds. Dr. Masaru Emoto is a famous Japanese researcher and alternative therapist. He is one of the most popular water experts in the world. He discovered water stores all the information that gets in touch with it. The magnetic resonance passes important information into the water through vibration. Water shows its true nature in frozen crystalline form. Dr. Masaru Emoto's laboratory in Tokyo has managed to make the first water crystal photo. Since then tens of thousands of crystal images have been made. He has done plenty of examinations and experiments on various subjects, the results showed that music, words, thoughts, and prayers have an influence on the structure of water crystals, and so they have a significant impact on our physical reality. By crystal photography, Dr. Emoto has managed to set up the hypothesis that water visually absorbs and retains the received information through vibration to be seen by everyone. In addition, the water crystals in their harmonious forms remind us of art pieces, and so, they touch the heart and soul of many. (Dr. Masaru Emoto‘s famous works: Messages from Water and the Universe, The Hidden Messages in Water, The Miracle of Water, The Secret Life of Water, The Healing Power of Water) Dr. Emoto used distilled water for his experiments, which did not contain any information. He used different vibrations on this water. For example, he had put glasses of water between two loudspeakers, then made them „listen” to Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, heavy metal music and folk songs, then he froze each and every glass. He examined them under a microscope. The results were astonishing because there were gigantic differences between the water crystals. In their normal state, water crystals form a hexagonal structure like a snowflake. Dr. Emoto's experiment proved that if you give any negative „instructions” to water - for example like 'do it yourself, leave me alone or I’ll kill you' - then this hexagonal crystal structure will immediately break down and create a very strange form. At the very moment, however, as you transmit positive information - such as, for example, „I love you, you are beautiful”, the hexagonal crystal structure is formed immediately. He tried water from various sources, holy wells – for example from the holy source of Lourdes – and it was astonishing how beautiful and strong the crystal forms they’ve shown were. If water with such a perfect structure gets into our body, it transforms the water in our body, because a stronger vibration always overwrites the weaker. Water contradicts the laws of physics in many aspects. It widens when it’s freezing and loses weight, instead of getting tighter and gaining weight. There are no two identical snowflakes in the world, each is a unique, regular hexagonal crystal. It looks like if every water drop were a separate individual, kind of a personality with an unalterable character. If we thaw a snowflake then freeze it back after, it would form the same pattern as before. Moreover, information written on papers then framed into the glasses showed the same effect as before when Dr. Emoto examined the crystal structures. So, water crystals change their shape under the influence of different thoughts, words, sounds, music, and emotions. As about 70% of our body and about 90% of our brain is composed of water, – water, that changes affected by thoughts – we can maintain or recover our health by positive thoughts that induce positive vibrations in us. We can achieve this easily, we just have to constantly think about what we love, what we crave for, and exchange the negative thoughts with these. There is water not only in our body but everywhere in the surrounding existence, for example in the air around us. So our words, thoughts, and emotions not only transform the water crystals in our bodies but the air around us, the space that we live in. If we are surrounded by a space that we love, then we feel good, wherever we are. Water crystals automatically attract water crystals of similar structure - so they "work" for us. They bring people, opportunities, situations that have similarly shaped water crystals in our lives - so they bring exactly that type of situation, people, that we love, with whom we feel good.