We would like to thank all the candidates who took part on this wonderful challenge and delivered outstanding performances. But as you know – there is only one winner.

And the winner is Chen Yi-Syuan, the best Water Sommelière of Taiwan 2025! Congratulations from us all. Well deserved. 🎉🏆🥇

Becoming the Best Water Sommelier of Taiwan 2025 was no easy task.
After a theoretical preliminary round, the candidates faced a jury and an audience, mastering many crucial individual tasks with brillance, professionalism and charme.

Showing sensory evaluation, brand knowledge, mineral expertise, impressiv service and know-how for recommendations and pairings. And the most important factor: The love to water. 💦

We would like especially thank YVONNE WU and Dr. HOWARD HSIAH, the repräsentatives of the Water Sommelier Union e. V. of Asia, who, along with their wonderful team, were largely responsible for this impressive event!
A heartwarming thanks for your efforts and support, for your time and professionalism that you invested in the preparation and execution of this great challenge! It was really a great pleasure enjoying your wonderful hospitality, your appreciativ cooperation and the very professional ambience of this competition. ❤️

We definitely know, that water is the most important element available. And that water is a vital part of our well-being, our health and also for pleasure.

This event, the first ever to become the „Best Watersommelier“ of Taiwan, is a milestone for water, for all Water Sommeliers, for all water brands and water companies.

Thank you also to our wonderful interpreter Patricia Chen from Mandarin to English, who made it possible for us, to follow this event more effeciently. Many thanks also for the wonderful moderation of Ines @swiiching!

Der Beitrag Taiwan´s Best Water Sommelier 2025 erschien zuerst auf Wassersommelier Union e.V..

Der Beitrag New Sustaining Member Monfortinho erschien zuerst auf Wassersommelier Union e.V..

For our participants – and also for those who unfortunately could not attend – here is a review with short reports, impressive impressions, and beautiful pictures!

Soos Nature Reserve

Soos is an important national nature reserve in the Czech Eger Basin. It protects a moor that has become internationally known for its natural mofettes and mineral springs.

During our visit to Soos, heavy rainfall had saturated the ground surface with water, allowing us to observe an impressive natural spectacle: the rising gases (almost 99% of which is carbon dioxide) penetrate the surface water and, by bubbling in the depressions of the mofettes, give the impression of boiling water. The carbon dioxide escaping from the moor caves can be a deadly trap for small animals and birds that stay close to the ground, as we observed in some places.

“Very salty, metallic, carbonated, and a noticeable hydrogen sulfide smell”: this was the most common sensory description of our participants about the Imperial Spring, the only drinkable mineral spring in Soos. The Imperial Spring is also the warmest spring in the Eger Basin. However, as it mixes with colder, gas-containing water on its way to the surface, its temperature at the spring outlet is only 17.5°C.

Karlovy Vary underground

Two German-language and two English-language guided tours through the Karlovy Vary underground beneath the Hot Spring Colonnade were certainly one of the highlights of our annual meeting.

The tour of the historic part of the Karlovy Vary underground showed us how traditional Karlovy Vary souvenirs, known as “stone roses,” are made. These roses are sintered naturally within a week through the separation of minerals. On display was a collection of sinter rock and sparkling stones, as well as old pipes from the beginning of the last century and rare, green-shimmering bacteria and algae that live on the surface washed by mineral water.

Our members also learned interesting facts about the Hot Spring Colonnade, its history, its unique underground structure, and, of course, the most famous Karlovy Vary spring – the Hot Spring (Vřídlo).

Karlovy Vary colonnades and springs

Karlovy Vary is famous for its magnificent colonnades and numerous mineral and healing springs. It’s easy to lose track of them all. That’s why we provided all participants with a booklet for orientation during the enjoyable walk. This booklet contains detailed descriptions of all the colonnades and freely accessible springs.

And to ensure that our members could enjoy the numerous healing waters, each participant received an original Karlovy Vary spa cup (with the WSU logo!).

Tasting Czech healing, mineral, and spring waters

Czechia offers a huge variety of healing, mineral, and spring waters! Some with extraordinary sensory characteristics! From metallic to salty to extremely bitter varieties! An impressive experience for all water sommeliers! Many thanks to our Czech WSU member Jan Vokurka, who organized all the Czech waters for us! With the help of detailed fact sheets, participants were also able to learn about the underlying mineralization, history, and other special features of the springs. It was an extraordinary sensory experience!

Presentations Mineral Water CelebrationDay 2025

Lectures on all aspects of water are a valuable part of our Mineral Water Celebration Day! After all, one of our WSU goals is the further education of our members. We are particularly pleased that external experts and active WSU members have agreed to present interesting news from the world of water! We were able to present a total of four exciting lectures:

• Tomas Vylita “Mineral Waters of the Czech Massif”
• Lodovico die Gioia “Emerging Contaminants: a growing threat for drinking water”
• Diane Plattner “My Water Journey”
• Peter Schropp “The new supporting members of the WSU”

Many thanks to all the speakers for their active support!

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In our WSU Water Roundtable online seminar, our board member and water sommelier Joachim Kuppert showed us how well-thought-out market planning with bestseller/worst seller analysis, optimal use of space, and clear customer guidance not only makes it easier for shoppers to find their way around, but also increases sales.

We learned how retailers and consumers alike benefit from easy refilling, better advice, and well-founded information on the subject of mineral water.

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Angelika van der Vliet, Thomas Schindler, and Dr. Peter Schropp demonstrated the sensory diversity of natural mineral water to the numerous visitors at the trade fair. Of course, the discussions during the tastings were not only about the taste and mouthfeel of mineral water, but also about the quality of this extremely important resource. The commitment of the Quality Association for Organic Mineral Water and its affiliated organic mineral water springs to water and environmental protection is groundbreaking in this regard, as many activities for the careful, sustainable use of our most important foodstuff are initiated and supported.
It is absolutely essential to raise public awareness of the importance and vulnerability of water so that efforts can be made to preserve our water in excellent quality and sufficient quantity for future generations.

Der Beitrag Watersomeliers in action at the Biofach in Nuremberg erschien zuerst auf Wassersommelier Union e.V..

Der Beitrag Taiwanese WSU Meeting 2025 erschien zuerst auf Wassersommelier Union e.V..

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The Mineral Water Celebration Day is always an integral part of the annual meeting and took place after the general meeting.
After the mineral water darts, in which the participants were able to demonstrate their sensory abilities, a series of lectures followed with interesting current topics from the (mineral) water sector:

In his lecture, Dr Peter Schropp talked about the new trend of ‘alkaline water’. In Asia and America, many suppliers promote both natural and artificially produced water with the slogan ‘alkaline’, associating it with numerous health benefits. Peter also addressed the term ‘alkalinity’ and explained why, although some suppliers claim it is the same, alkalinity has nothing to do with the pH value of water. With the help of analyses he carried out on numerous types of water, he was able to prove this statement and show that a high level of alkalinity in natural water must always be accompanied by a high concentration of hydrogen carbonates or carbonates.

Microorganisms in food are usually viewed negatively. But is this necessarily the case? In his lecture “Living Waters”, Dr. Paul Jacob focussed on ‘positive’ microflora, which can also occur in water.These resilient beings adapt to an oligothrophic existence, where nutrients are scarce and organic matter is a rarity. Numerous scientific studies were presented in this context. Perhaps it will one day even be possible to determine the origin of a mineral water with the help of this positive flora. A very exiting presentation and for all Water Sommeliers a new perspective on water!

Finally Jörg Berger reported on the possibilities of “Water Design”. Water with customised mineralisation is very much in vogue, and the demand for individual flavours and functional additives with health-promoting effect is also increasing. The technology offers the opportunity to create customised water for defined target groups, particularly in countries where there is no natural underground water. Jörg explained the sophisticated technology developed by KRONES in a clear and vivid way and showed some examples from Asia and the Middle East, where this technology has been successfully implemented.

Last but not least, Peter Schropp addressed the current topic of Micro- and Nanoplastics. Many consumers are concerned about the high amount of microplastic particles in bottled water reported in the press. Compared to tyre abrasion and other sources, the contamination in bottled water is extremely low. Peter was also able to show that the analysis is still very complex and not comparable. Therefore, these press reports must always be viewed with caution. The health effects have also not yet been sufficiently researched.

A great lecture programme for all water enthusiasts! Many thanks to all the speakers for these extremely interesting presentations!
The Watersommelier Union is already looking forward to the meeting in 2025!

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Der Beitrag Day 1 of the annual meeting 2024 of our Water Sommelier Union! erschien zuerst auf Wassersommelier Union e.V..

Almost every water sommelier knows Adelholzener Alpenquellen GmbH from the field trips during the water sommelier course and was able to get to know this model company in the Bavarian Alps better! The visit is always a highlight during the training! We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for the hospitality of this mineral water company!
We are all the more pleased to be able to welcome Adelholzener Alpenquellen GmbH as a sustaining member of the Water Sommelier Union!
We are very much looking forward to working with them and to many more exciting visits to Adelholzener!

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