The Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting celebrates 30 years and welcomes more than one hundred waters from across the country and around the globe on Saturday, February 22. Held at The Country Inn in the historic spa town of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, it is the largest and longest running water tasting in the world, dubbed by BuzzFeed and The Week “the world’s most prestigious water tasting.”
Tasting of municipal waters, followed by purified drinking water, begins at 2:30pm. Bottled waters, both still and sparkling, are tasted at 6:30pm. Winners in all categories are announced at a public awards reception at 8pm.
More than 700 distinct waters have entered over the life of the event coming from all over the United States and from as far away as Greece, New Zealand and Korea. New this year is municipal water from Innsbruck, Austria. “The impact of winning this event is extraordinary for a bottler,” said Jeanne Mozier, one of the event founders. “Several have experienced exponential growth, others closed major deals, and almost all winners redesign their labels to display their winning medal.”
A distinguished panel of media judges determine the official winners, but there is a role for the public. All day Saturday, they taste water along with the judges. Most importantly, the public votes for two People’s Choice awards, one for best packaging and one for best flavored essence sparkling water. “How the product looks has become ever more important as the bottled water industry continues to grow,” said Mozier. “There are now more than 600 brands of bottled water.”
Mozier admits the event is a little tame. “The real excitement for the audience comes at the conclusion,” she explains. “Once the awards are presented, we stage the now world-famous ‘water rush’ where folks scramble to take home some of the hundreds of bottles of water that have been used for display.” The “water rush” was highlighted by cable television’s Games Across America.
Watermaster Arthur von Wiesenberger, noted expert and author from Santa Barbara, CA, trains the media judges and directs the challenge of evaluating a product where tastelessness is the most sought after quality. Travel Berkeley Springs and open to the public produce the unique event, dubbed the “granddaddy of water tastings,” by Von Wiesenberger.
Handcrafted glass water drops, created by West Virginia’s Appalachian Glass, are presented as awards in the municipal, bottled and still water categories as well as for purified drinking water and best packaging design.
This year’s Judges include representatives from Business Insider TV, Blue Ridge Outdoors and WV Executive Magazines, as well as journalists whose work appears in the Washington Post, Washingtonian and Travel and Leisure Magazine, among others, as well as podcasts and blogs. The award-winning event was featured on a National Geographic Today television special as well as repeated documentaries, is a chapter in John Lingan’s book “Homeplace,” and has been named to various top event lists. It was voted runner up for Weirdest Festival in the Blue Ridge.
“Water: Beneath the Surface and Around the Globe,” the event’s seminar, addresses industry issues on Friday, February 21 from 1 – 5pm. Topics include the healing waters of Berkeley Springs, chemistry of springs of Ancient Greece, trees as water movers and protectors, and the growing problem of PFAS in water systems throughout the US. Both the seminar and Saturday night’s events are live streamed on BerkeleySpringsWV Facebook page.
Arthur von Wiesenberger, founder of BottledWaterWeb, broadcaster, author and advocate for protecting and providing the best water possible will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. As longtime water master of the Water Tasting, he is always generous sharing his knowledge and advice at the event with anyone asking. WaterExpo Guangzhou 2020 and Guangzhou Informa Yi Fan Exhibitions Co., Ltd of China is the presenting sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement Award. “We are always thrilled when our global reach is reinforced by major international sponsors,” said Mozier, “and we welcome China to our line-up.”
The water tasting weekend begins on Thursday, February 20, with preliminary tastings at The Country Inn. Special events and activities are everywhere in Morgan County through Sunday. You’ll also get to celebrate the Bicentennial of Morgan County. For more information, call 800-447-8797 or check the award-winning Website — www.berkeleysprings.com.
