Travel Berkeley Springs hosted its 35th annual International Water Tasting event over the weekend, February 21 and 22, at The Country Inn in Berkeley Springs.
Berkeley Springs was among the winners of the water competition following two days of judging. A total of 80 waters from three continents entered the competition.
Participants from around the globe poured into the Inn’s Garden Room, tasting, and judging bottled still and sparkling waters, municipal waters, and package designs.
A lot has changed since 1990, when the first Winter Festival of the Waters was held, the brainchild of event founder Jeanne Mozier. Bottled water has since taken off as an industry, reusable water bottles are now an accessory, and the number of entries in the tasting has grown to include waters from around the globe.
Photo by Lisa Schauer
As it has become more recognized and prestigious, the international water tasting awards and seal continues to position Berkeley Springs at the epicenter of water quality each year.
This year, an organization founded by Cirque du Soleil creator Guy Laliberte, One Drop Foundation, was awarded the lifetime achievement award for its efforts to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in Latin America, India, Africa, and indigenous communities in Canada.
Seminars were held on Friday, with the theme “water beneath the surface and around the globe.” Water tasting and judging took place on Saturday, followed by an awards ceremony, reception and “water rush,” when attendees scrambled to take home display bottles on Saturday evening.
Live music was provided by Black Cat Village Band. Awards were handcrafted by Appalachian Glass.
Perennial watermaster was water expert, author, and media personality Arthur von Wiesenberger, of Santa Barbara, California, who has missed only three of the events since its start.
A panel of trained judges included journalists, other members of the media, and industry consultants.
Winning waters
Berkeley Springs’ public municipal water received the silver medal – second place – behind the top municipal water which came from Emporia, Kansas.
Water from the famed Berkeley Springs also placed in the bottled water category, with Berkeley Springs Water coming in fifth place in the non-carbonated bottled water field.
The Municipal Water Category saw a U.S. sweep, from the West Coast to the East Coast and in between, including three previous gold medal winners. Bronze went to Mission Springs Water District, Desert Hot Springs, Calif. Fourth place was Southwest Water Authority, Dickinson, N.D., and tied for fifth place, just one single point behind, was Piedmont, W.Va. and City of Santa Ana, Calif.
“The consistency in winners from year to year with different panels of judges validates the choices,” remarked esteemed watermaster, Arthur von Wiesenberger. “It also speaks to the impressively high caliber of the waters entered.”
Winning their second Gold Medal in the Bottled Non-Carbonated Water Category, was Theoni Natural Mineral Water, Karditsa, Greece. Shenandoah Rain, Edinburg, Va. won Silver and previous gold medal winner Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Eldorado Springs, Colo. took home Bronze. Another previous Gold Medal winner, Zaros Natural Mineral Water placed fourth.
The Sparkling Water winners came from three continents. The Gold Medal went to Wilderness Mountain Water, Bland, VA. Silver and bronze this year went to multi-medalists, Antipodes Water, Otakiri, Whakatane, New Zealand and Tesanjaki Kiseljack, Tesanj, Bosnia. Fourth went to previous gold medal winner Little Hampton Sparkling, Doveton, Victoria, Australia. And in fifth place, new entry Adobe Mountain, Sacramento, Calif.
The Gold Medal in the Purified category went to DrinkMore Water, Gaithersburg, Md. Multi medalist Le Sage Natural Water, Lesage, W.Va. took Silver. The Bronze went to a previous multi Gold medalist, Ophora Hyper-Oxygenated® Water, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Online voting for the People’s Choice package design was initiated in 2021. The packaging category had 11 entrants competing for most alluring.
The colorful reusable aluminum container from Little Orleans, Md., Piney Plains Natural Spring Water won Gold. The distinctive can featuring a wooly mammoth from Wilderness Mountain Water Company, Bland, Va. earned the Silver Medal on their second time entering the contest. Adobe Mountain from Sacramento, Calif. took home Bronze with their elegant fluted glass bottle. Intentions Water, Henderson, Tenn. and Turtle Water, Gadsden, Ala. placed fourth and fifth.
The event was produced by Travel Berkeley Springs and held at The Country Inn. The 36th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting is scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
