This water scored a perfect 100. Now it's being served like wine

South Australian surfer Damien Smith discovered that water beneath his property in Yorke Peninsula was worth bottling. Mr Smith, along with his wife Gretchen Scinta, began extracting the water from a freshwater aquifer after buying the property in 2008. The couple grew vegetables using the water and later had it tested, realizing it was something special. A water engineer told Mr Smith, "This is a unicorn."

The mineral water, protected from oxygen, light, and temperature changes, was recently launched by the Smiths. Food anthropologist Michael Mascha, who co-founded the Fine Water Society, believes premium water is transitioning from a commodity to a product with terroir, similar to wine and other products. Australia is playing an increasingly important role in this evolution.

The Smiths access their water from an aquifer in the Carribie Basin through a sealed extraction point. To maintain the water's natural mineral makeup, they move it through food-grade pipes into holding tanks. Harvesting is straightforward, but getting it to market is more challenging, as the water is trucked to a bottling plant near Adelaide.

The premium bottled water industry is growing, but scrutiny over sourcing and processing is also increasing. In 2024, Nestlé Waters in France was revealed to have used prohibited treatment methods on contaminated water. Premium water is now being taken more seriously, with an international fine-water-tasting event in Canada attracting over 100 entries. Premium waters from Yorke Peninsula scored perfect scores at the event.

The Smiths are now waiting to see what future vintages of their mineral water will yield, with cellaring taking longer than they are used to. Adelaide's 2KW restaurant serves the Carribie water for $10 per bottle, a more affordable option compared to brands from Italy and France. As alcohol consumption declines, demand for non-alcoholic beverages, including premium water, is growing.