It is a question that many people have probably asked themselves at some time and that others, perhaps, have not even considered. Especially considering that Spain is not a country with a deep-rooted culture around sparkling water. Yes, they are nearby countries such as France, Italy or Germany, which are among the main consumers of sparkling water in the world, along with the United States or Argentina.
The answer is complex, since it depends on what type of sparkling water we have in hand. The gas in this drink can be natural or added, and there is even a mixed version: some waters contain part of the gas coming directly from the spring and another part added. How to know? All this information appears on the labels. In a tasting, not even the most seasoned palates would be able to tell the difference. Although they could distinguish details such as the number of bubbles, their thickness and their persistence, among other aspects.
Before delving into the types of sparkling waters, it is advisable to stop at the types of plain waters. There are basically three: natural mineral water (with the variant of medicinal mineral water), prepared drinking water and spring water. The first is the most common and consists of “water bottled directly as it comes from the spring, without additives,” explains Faustino Muñoz Soria, sommelier, water expert and manager of Colmado Quílez, in Barcelona. It is a water of underground origin, with a long transit in the depths, with physical-chemical and microbiological stability, without added chemicals and with minerals from the rock of the spring itself.
Spring water is also extracted, as its name indicates, from a spring and is often very similar to natural mineral water, although it lacks this distinctive feature. This is because "spring water has passed fewer controls and has been forced to meet fewer requirements, although it can be equally good," explains Muñoz, who points out that "in this case, the legislation requires that the name of the “spring appears larger on the labels than the commercial name of the water, with the aim of being able to distinguish it.”
Finally, we find prepared drinking water, which is also spring water to which, in this case, minerals have been added or removed. “The company decides to modify the water by adding or extracting minerals such as calcium, magnesium or sulfates, to give just a few examples,” explains Muñoz, who reminds consumers that this information is always present on the labels.
In the case of the sparkling waters that we find on the market, these always belong to the family of natural mineral waters, and there are basically three types. On the one hand, those that have natural carbon gas from the spring itself. On the other hand, those that contain added carbon dioxide and, finally, those that present a mixture, part natural gas and part added. The law requires information on the labels whether the gas is natural or, on the contrary, is an additive. Muñoz always encourages you to consult them, “if only to have information about what you are consuming.”
“For water to contain gas naturally, many requirements must be met, so of the nearly 160 springs in Spain, only 2% have naturally carbonated water. For this phenomenon to occur, the spring must have suffered very high temperatures and pressure, which are the two factors that trigger the water to end up naturally absorbing that carbon dioxide,” explains Muñoz.
Some examples of this type of water are the German Gerolsteiner (the most consumed in this country) or the popular Água das Pedras, a Portuguese company with 150 years of history whose water, coming from a spring located in the north of Portugal, is marketed as “without added gas”, since it is one hundred percent natural.
According to Manuel Antunes da Silva, hydrogeologist in Pedras Salgadas and water sommelier, “100% natural carbonated waters always have their own characteristics, the result of the minerals present in the spring and a particular, unique type of gas, but they present a common process. Natural gas waters are always the result of a slow and complex process, since the water circulates internally through granite cracks, between 500 and 1000 m deep in the case of Água das Pedras, and that is where it receives not only the entire mineral load, but also that carbon dioxide that creates a unique personality and identity.”
The phenomenon of gasification in the spring is due, according to Muñoz, “to a process in which very high temperatures and a lot of pressure are combined, which causes the characteristic bubbles to form, which, in combination with the minerals of the spring, the rock, give rise to unique waters.” The expert recalls that “natural gasification is a process that takes many years and always occurs in springs with a minimum depth of 200 or 300 m, in which the water has been gradually absorbing carbon and oxygen atoms. natural".
Muñoz also adds that “temperature decisively influences the thickness of the bubble: the more heat, the thicker it will be,” while pressure has to do with the amount of gas: the higher the pressure, the greater the number of bubbles.
Is there some type of bubble that is better than another or a recommended amount of gas for water to be perfect? The answer is no, since it always depends on the consumer's taste, as demonstrated by a market with a wide range of sparkling waters, with natural or added carbon dioxide, of different intensity and power.
“In the case of waters with natural carbon dioxide, neither the temperature nor the pressure can be chosen, so the bubble is what it is, which does happen in waters with added gas. This allows companies to be extremely precise with the quantity and persistence of the bubbles, as well as their thickness,” Muñoz explains in this sense. What is true – continues the expert – is that sparkling waters from springs are “more natural, which in some cases represents an indisputable selling point for a certain type of consumer.”
The advantage of added gas is that “the company can choose between thick or fine bubbles, discreet or aggressive, soft or strong,” explains Muñoz. The gas injection process is relatively simple, using large capacity containers, and there are some companies that opt for a mixed formula. “Despite having carbon naturally, some sparkling water brands choose to add an extra part to achieve certain characteristics. In some cases, gas is even added afterwards from the spring itself,” explains Muñoz.
A curious case is that of Vilajuïga, a gourmet product, highly appreciated on tables around the world, whose sparkling spring water is fine and light, with small bubbles. This has "a somewhat stronger version, with a part of added gas, to satisfy the needs of those palates who like to feel the bubbles strongly, thus adapting to a market that increasingly demands this type of product", Muñoz points out.
According to Da Silva, a quality sparkling water, especially when it has a fine and subtle bubble like that of Água das Pedras, always requires “a calm, slow and continuous service, so that the homogeneity of the bubble is maintained at all times.” . For the same reason, "it is important that the glass is always of medium size and that the opening is smaller in diameter than the base so that the gas does not disperse."
The hydrogeologist and water specialist assures that "sparkling water works at any time of the day, since it is ideal for meals and very effective at times like the afternoon." Muñoz, a big fan of this drink, agrees with him: “A sparkling water with a good slice of lemon is digestive and refreshing and, although it does not exactly help you lose weight, it does work as a substitute for "other drinks at certain times of consumption and that, being carbonated, can be satiating."
