The 36th Annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting welcomes waters from more than a dozen countries, and states from California to Georgia this Saturday, February 21.
Held at The Country Inn in Berkeley Springs, the event is the largest and longest running water tasting in the world. It is produced by Travel Berkeley Springs.
Tasting of municipal waters, followed by purified drinking waters begins at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Non-carbonated bottled and sparkling waters are tasted at 6:30 p.m.
Winners in all categories are announced at 8:30 p.m. Handcrafted glass water drops, created by West Virginia’s Appalachian Glass, are presented as awards. 
More than 750 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, Tajikistan and Japan. Entries from 63 countries, D.C. and all but three states have been represented since the beginning in 1991, including newcomers this year: Tibet, South Africa, Hungary and Vietnam.
“The impact of winning this event is extraordinary for a bottler,” said Jill Klein Rone, event producer. “Many 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 the People’s Choice Award for best packaging.
“How the product looks and grabs attention has become ever more important as the bottled water industry continues to grow,” said Klein Rone. “There are well over 600 brands of bottled water on the market.”
The public can vote online for the People’s Choice package design. Voting began February 7 and goes until February 21 at 8 p.m. Anyone anywhere can vote by going to www.berkeleysprings.com.
Voting also takes place all day Saturday, along with public tastings, and exhibit booths.
While the crowd gathers for the awards ceremony at the end of the day on Saturday, the BlackCat Village Band, a multigenerational instrumental ensemble, returns with their eclectic variety of tunes from around the globe.
“The real excitement for the audience comes at the conclusion,” Klein Rone 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.”
Watermaster Arthur von Wiesenberger, noted expert and author from Santa Barbara, Calif., trains the media judges and directs the challenge of evaluating a product where tastelessness is the most sought-after quality.
Judges include representatives from the Insider’s Guide to Spas and Table Magazine, as well as journalists and freelance writers whose work appears on radio and TV, and in various newspapers and magazines, travel sites, podcasts and blogs.
“Water: Beneath the Surface and Around the Globe,” the event’s seminar, addresses industry issues on Friday February 20 from 1 – 5 p.m.
Topics include water and sanitation for all; water quality, from source to tap; the importance of hydration: an overview of DigDeep and the Appalachian Water Project; and actions individuals can take to help protect our water. Both the seminar and Saturday night’s events are live streamed on the BerkeleySpringsWV Facebook page.
George McGraw, Founder and CEO of DigDeep will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at Saturday’s awards ceremony.
While most people think of the water crisis as a problem in Africa or India, more than 2.2 million Americans still don’t have clean, running water or working toilets at home.
McGraw started DigDeep to help those communities build and manage their own water systems. They’ve brought clean, running water to thousands of families on the Navajo Nation, Texas border colonias, and Appalachia.
DigDeep also conducts groundbreaking research, empowers communities to advocate for their rights, and teaches Americans to use our resources more intelligently.
Project WET, Water Education Today, will be joined by the Cacapon Institute as they visit Morgan County schools — Pleasant View and Paw Paw Elementary Schools — on February 24. They will be doing hands-on Project WET activities that specifically tie into drinking water and water management of our most precious natural resource.
The Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting is presented by the Town of Bath and Berkeley Springs Water Works in partnership with Travel Berkeley Springs. It is supported by major sponsors Peak Health of West Virginia and WV River’s Coalition and a grant from Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area.
For more information call 304-258-9147 or check www.BerkeleySprings.com.
Water judges work during a previous Water Tasting festival to help select winning waters from around the globe.
photo courtesy of Travel Berkeley Springs