Friday, Aug 08, 2008 at 07:57
Hi Geoff & Karen....
Thought you might appreciate this news story I saw yesterday....
16:18 07Aug08 RTRS-
Sydney restaurant turns
water into the new wine
By Pauline Askin
SYDNEY, Aug 7 (Reuters Life!) -
Water is the new wine at a top-notch
Sydney restaurant offering health-conscious customers "bold" or "velvety" varieties which can cost as much as some vintages.
In what appears to a first in major wine producer Australia, Kable's restaurant at
Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel offers a menu of 20 types of
water from around the world with descriptions that wouldn't be out of place on a fine wine menu.
"The main reason behind launching the
water menu is because we are finding more and more of our guests are increasingly health conscious," Four Seasons public relations manager Sally McCann told Reuters. "Often people feel pressured into ordering a glass of wine with their meal but now customers have a choice," she said. "Our customers are really enjoying the novelty and experiencing the
water as they would wine."
Some Kable's waters are listed as having "an elegant velvet character when served at room temperature" while others are described as having a "large mouth feel and is best served as a pre-dinner drink with hors d'oeuvres".
"You should match the mouth feel of the
water, with the mouth feel of the dish," said restaurant manager Philippo Radrizzani.
"Normally with wine you go with the progression but with
water you should go with different intensity of the carbonation in the
water," he added.
"Some waters can be velvety in the mouth, while some can be a little bit harsh."
WOULD YOU LIKE
WATER WITH THAT?
The
water menu is divided according to its source and the mineral content and includes "artesian", which comes from deep within the earth, "spring", which acquires minerals through rocks and "rain", which is collected from the world's cleanest skies.
It also features a category for sparkling waters. Small bottles range in price from A$16 to A$20 ($15 to $18) compared to a glass of local wine which costs between A$11 to A$13.
Home to wine labels such as Penfolds and the popular Jacob's
Creek, Australia is the fourth largest vintage exporter in the world, according to the Australian Trade Commission.
Australians are also significant wine drinkers, with some surveys ranking them the 16th biggest consumers in the world, although beer still remains the nation's favourite tipple.
Kable's now hopes
water will become equally popular.
For diners confused about which
water best compliments their meal, Radrizzani recommends lightly sparkling waters, such as France's Badoit, for salads, seafood or white meat dishes while "classic" sparkling waters such as Italy's San Pellegrino, work
well as mixers or with red meat dishes.
"Waiwera from New Zealand is actually a little bit salty, this goes very
well with venison or pork," he said. "It has an after-taste almost like wine, it's very long in the mouth."
And if you fancy an aperitif, Radrizzani says "bold" sparkling waters with a "the largest mouth feel of any water" are as good as a glass of champagne.
"They are like champagne, bubbly and loud in the mouth."
(Editing by Miral Fahm
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