VOA健康报道2023--Market Grows for Costly ‘Fine Water’

Market Grows for Costly¹ ‘Fine Water’

At 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 purity².

But these experts were not tasting wine. Instead, they were tasting "fine water."

The 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.

Companies collect the so-called "fine water" from sources such as volcanic³ rock in Hawaii, melting ice from glaciers⁴ 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.

At 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.

Waters 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 calcium⁵, magnesium⁶, potassium or sodium⁷, among others.

A 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.

Ganesh Iyer is an Indian businessman who has worked in the beverage⁸, 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.

He 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 laborer⁹.

Veen 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.

Water-stressed India

The story of water, however, is very different for many people in India.

The 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.

But these kinds of solutions are only used in some places, and the increasing need for water could lead to more disagreements.

At 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.

Michael Mascha is a co-founder of the Fine Water Society. He told The Associated Press, "I think what we do is we raise the awareness¹⁰ of water — and if you cherish¹¹ something, you're more likely to protect it."

Words in This Story

purity -n. clearness, being without unwanted elements or aspects

luxury -n. something expensive which is not necessary but which gives pleasure

mist -n. very small drops of water in the air, similar to fog

dissolved -adj. mixed into a liquid

menu -n. a list of food and drink at a restaurant

manage -v. to direct or be in charge of

awareness -n. knowledge of something and having it in mind

cherish -v. to highly value or appreciate

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 purity   

n.纯净，纯洁，纯度

参考例句：

• She was a woman of purity and goodness.她是一位纯洁善良的妇女。
• The white colour is a symbol of purity.白色是纯洁的象征。

3 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

4 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

5 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

6 magnesium   

n.镁

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The water contains high amounts of magnesium.这水含有大量的镁。

7 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

8 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

9 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 cherish   

vt.抱有，怀有（希望等），爱护，抚育，珍爱

参考例句：

• I cherish for you the liveliest feeling of affection and gratitude.我对你怀有最强烈的爱和感激之情。
• We must cherish experience acquired at the cost of blood.我们必须珍惜用鲜血换来的经验。