11/08/2010

Gerolsteiner Gourmet Edition: Double glass set to enhance the pleasure of drinking mineral water

With wine, whiskey and other fine spirits, the ideal glass form is an important element of cultivated drinking pleasure. But mineral water has been neglected in the past when it comes to cultivated drinking. Here the selection of a proper drinking glass is mainly based on appearance and rarely on any sensory aspects of the water itself. Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG, market leader among high-quality mineral waters, took this opportunity to initiate a project unique to the German mineral water industry as yet: In cooperation with the glass manufacturer Schott Zwiesel and Thomas Sommer, head sommelier of the gourmet restaurant Lerbach, the company developed the "Gerolsteiner Gourmet-Edition" - a set of two mouth-blown glasses, one specially designed for the still mineral water Gerolsteiner Naturell and the other for the sparkling versions, Gerolsteiner Sprudel and Medium.

"A high-quality mineral water deserves to be served in a glass that optimally brings out the character and merits of the product," explains Axel Dahm, CEO of Gerolsteiner Brunnen. "We see our Gourmet glass concept as an incentive and opportunity for the top gastronomy to distinguish themselves by cultivating the pleasure of drinking mineral water and offering the perfect service concerning every aspect of mineral water as a product."

"Like a new interpretation of yin & yang"

"Find the glass form for our mineral waters that enables the optimal development of taste" - that was the task description that Gerolsteiner presented to sommelier Thomas Sommer. While closely studying the three Gerolsteiner mineral waters, it quickly became clear that the various levels of carbonation demanded two differently formed glasses: "The Gourmet glass designed specially for Gerolsteiner Naturell has a characteristically wide brim. This enables the non-carbonated mineral water to flow faster to the mouth where it can fully unfold its taste and become particularly soft and smooth," explained Sommer at the gourmet restaurant Lerbach where the new Gerolsteiner glasses were presented. For the ideal enjoyment of carbonated mineral water, glasses with a wide brim are unsuitable since they lead to a faster loss of carbonation, especially on the tip of the tongue. That's why the team decided on a glass slightly tapered towards the top in the development of the ideal form for Gerolsteiner Sprudel and Medium. This helps to keep the carbonation in the glass and ensures that the water and carbonation hit the middle of the tongue first. When placed next to one another, the two mineral water glasses look as though they compliment one another reciprocally in their form, or as Sommer worded it: "Like a new interpretation of Yin & Yang".

Symbiosis of elegance and functionality

A practical advantage for handling in gastronomy: Thanks to the different glass forms, the waiter can easily recognize whether the guest is drinking still or sparkling mineral water and he can refill the glass without having to ask. The clear, purist design of the Gourmet Edition is unmistakable and harmonizes nevertheless with all common types of wine glasses on a set table. In other aspects, great importance was placed on functionality as well: Despite their elegance, the glasses are shatterproof, easy to rinse and polish, and are space-saving when stored.

The glasses are made to order, not in a batch. Restaurateurs may purchase them in 6-pack cartons at a special price. Contact: Dagmar Reudenbach, dagmar.reudenbach@gerolsteiner.com.