Las Vegans surfing water options

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001 | 8:34 a.m.

In the wry 1992 film "The Player," there is a running joke in which a film industry executive played by Tim Robbins orders a different mineral water each time he dines at a restaurant.

This is really more of a spoof about Los Angeles and the film industry than it is about water, but it underscores an interesting point. In Beverly Hills, Calif., there were actually water bars that sold nothing more than various mineral waters and bottled waters.

According to the website mineralwaters.org, there are 1,700 brands of water yes, you read it right from 100 countries on the world market. On that site, waters are rated, mineral contents are given and the waters are listed by country.

Italy has a whopping 448 waters on the market, and Iceland alone has eight. Even the little-known Republic of Georgia, from the former Soviet Union, has three. And one of them, called Borzomi, is available in Las Vegas at the Eliseevsky Russian European Food market.

Simply stated, water today is big business, and choices that include mineral water, spring water, distilled water and purified water, are legion. The amazing thing is that even premium waters from the other side of the world can be sold at relatively low cost.

According to Michael Delgatto, general manager of beer and nonalcoholic beverages at Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, which imports many waters, "The freight by container, where you can get between 1,200 and 2,400 cases of water, only amounts to around 50 to 75 cents per case, which adds hardly anything to the cost of the water."

So why are people drinking so much bottled water these days? There are quite a few reasons: Quality, health awareness and improved lifestyle would be just three. Another would be, of course, taste. Some people do not care for the taste of tap water and would rather drink a more purified product.

The opposite reason holds true as well. Many people drink mineral or spring waters for the taste, or for the health benefits that the minerals found in the waters bring. Mineral waters vary greatly in terms of the TDS (total dissolved solids), mineral content and health benefits.

To be classified as a mineral water, according to the FDA, a water has to contain at least 250 mg (parts per million) TDS, although it does not specify which minerals those solids must be. If the number is less than 249, it is classified as spring water.

How is this measured? The mineral content of a water is measured in residues left when 1 liter of the water is evaporated at approximately 350 degrees.

Modern medical research agrees almost without exception that people who are deficient in magnesium and calcium are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease. Mineral waters, in particular, are good sources of both. Just look on that bottle of San Pellegrino, Gerolsteiner or whatever mineral water you choose for the details.

The only caveat in these waters is that these minerals are often in the form of salts, and the waters contain have a high degree of sodium. So for many people who have high blood pressure or are salt-sensitive, some doctors recommend drinking distilled water. The amount of sodium in most of the available waters is low to moderate. Some have no sodium at all. Read the labels. Sodium content is always listed.

Las Vegas restaurants make a nice profit on these waters, generally sold at anywhere between $2-$8 per bottle, depending on the size of the bottle and the type of restaurant. Still water remains the overwhelming favorite among diners, according to many restaurant managers. At the Cheesecake Factory, for instance, still water outsells sparkling almost 3-to-1.

At Smith & Wollensky, Manager Sheri Ritzler says the ratio is well above 2-to-1, while at Piero Selvaggio Valentino at The Venetian, where Italian waters such as San Pellegrino, Ferrarelle and the still water Panna hold court, Panna outsells the other two at nearly 3-to-1, Genteral Manager Arturo Nieto said.

Just to illustrate how much these waters can vary, both in terms of price and mineral content, take two. One is Fiji, which is popular perhaps because, similar to most of the designer waters, it has very little mineral taste to speak of. Fiji, from the Fiji Islands, is sold in an attractive, square plastic bottle, and has a relatively low TDS of 160. It contains 17 mg of calcium and 13 mg of magnesium per liter, and generally sells for around $2 per half-liter bottle.

Borjomi, on the other hand, has a huge 100 milligrams of calcium, 50 milligrams of magnesium and 2,250 milligrams of sodium per liter, which sells for around $1. This water, which some would call an acquired taste because of its strong mineral flavors, has such a high mineral content that the salts are actually faintly visible. Compare that to Perrier, which has little or no sodium.

Finally packaging should be mentioned. A few of the more expensive waters on the market, including TyNant, from Wales, and Voss, from Norway, have distinctive bottling, which inflates the price. TyNant comes in a beautiful cobalt blue bottle, while Voss comes in a long, sleek glass cylinder, just about the coolest looking bottle of water sold.

Depending on the size, expect to pay more than $3 a bottle for the aesthetic privilege of buying these prestigious waters.