Four West Virginia waters floated their way to the top of the awards podium at the world’s most prestigious water-tasting competition this past weekend in the Eastern Panhandle.
Celebrating its 35th year, the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting held at The Country Inn in the heart of this spa town once called Bath saw more than 80 waters entered from four different continents this year.
I was invited to join nine other judges from across the country who went through training to become Certified Water Tasters before spending hours smelling, swishing, swirling, sipping and savoring our weight in waters from cities, states and countries across the globe to pick the world’s best.
Among the winners was host Berkeley Springs, WV, which claimed second place behind Emporia, KS, for best municipal water after a series of blind tastings, and the town of Piedmont, WV, which came in fifth place in the same category.
Berkeley Springs Water also came in 5th in the bottled non-carbonated category behind winners from Greece, Virginia, Colorado and Crete. Le Sage Natural Water from Lesage, WV, came in second place in the purified water category, getting edged out by DrinkMore Water from Gaithersburg, MD.
Although international sparkling waters from New Zealand, Bosnia and Australia claimed second, third and fourth place in that category, domestic entries from Bland, VA, and Sacramento, CA, claimed first and fourth respectively.
Several of this year’s winners had claimed the top spots before, which event organizers say is a testament to the high caliber of waters entered because they are scored by a different group of judges every year.
“The consistency in winners from year to year with different panels of judges validates the choices,” said Watermaster Arthur von Wiesenberger, who led the judges’ training session. “It was another wonderful year for the largest and longest running water tasting in the world. Berkeley Springs is the Academy Awards of Water.”
For a full list of all the winners and more information on the competition, visit www.berkeleysprings.com. A livestream of the event is also saved on the “Berkeley Springs WV” Facebook page.
Tasty menu awaits at FeastivALL
The culinary extravaganza that is FeastivALL returns to the University of Charleston this Saturday for an evening of great food-and-drink pairings enjoyed in a festive (read: loud) atmosphere with entertainment, an auction and a very “spirited” competition!
One of the event’s highlights is that the beers and wines served that night are all competing against each other, with guests voting on the best pairing after each of the five courses are served.
And about those five courses? Here they are!
Appetizer: venison and green onion arancini with watercress pesto and maple blackberry agrodolce from Chef Chase Collier at Ristorante Abruzzi – paired with Bridge Brew Works Pillow Rock Pilsner and Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier.
Salad: kale salad with delicata squash, spiced pecans, aged cheddar and honey vinaigrette from Chef Nancy Bruins at J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works – paired with with Jackie O’s Who Cooks For You Hazy Pale Ale and PRUM Riesling Essence.
Soup: smoked morel bisque from Chef John Macklin at Edgewood Country Club – paired with High Ground Brewing The Woodsman Munich-Style Dunkel Lager and Chamisal Pinot Noir.
Entrée: allium risotto with braised beef cheeks, wild mushrooms and cruciferous vegetables from Chef Seth Samples at the University of Charleston – paired with New Trail Brewing Trail Market West Coast IPA and Cellar Door California Caymus.
Dessert: Granny Smith pound cake with oatmeal streusel and a brown butter semifreddo from Chef KD Jones, formerly of the Governor’s Mansion during the Justice Administration – paired with Screech Owl Brewing High Bridge Hefeweizen and Benvolio Prosecco.
A special-ticketed VIP reception begins at 5:30 pm that evening, but all guests with dinner tickets are invited to a cocktail hour at 6 featuring complementary wine and beer as the silent auction begins. Dinner service starts around 7 pm.
Tickets are $130 per person for dinner (or $175 for the dinner and VIP reception) but today is the LAST day to get them! To snag yours or learn more, visit www.festivallcharleston.com. Proceeds from the event help support FestivALL’s citywide arts and cultural programming.
Barkadas closes for uncertain period of time
Barkadas in Fort Hill has unexpectedly closed its doors due to staffing shortages at the Filipino-inspired restaurant right off US 119 in Charleston.
Owner Jay Cinco said the restaurant is currently conducting a national search for a new chef, but would also be interested in top-quality local talent if they’re able to find someone highly capable of running the kitchen and its staff.
There’s no immediate timeline for a possible reopening date, so stay tuned here for updates.
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.