Drinking water is a scarce and strategic asset and has enormous economic power. In the counties of Girona, major multinationals extract water, still or carbonated, and there are springs that are worshipped and are fine and highly appreciated. To drink and quench your thirst, to make infusions without altering any of the organoleptic properties of the herbs, and to cook broths, rice and soups.
Most of this water is naturally mineralised, just as it comes out of the ground. Some are naturally carbonated, although this can be lost when it flows to the surface after so many years – thousands or millions – hidden and protected among the rocks. There are also some with gas added later, and some that are naturally carbonated, brut nature.
Sant Aniol mineral water is extracted from a well formed more than 40,000 years ago, which emerges from a depth of 55 metres and reaches a plant located on a 12-metre basalt promontory. The purity and low mineral content of this water give it a neutral flavour that makes it suitable for cooking and for the preparation of coffee and infusions.
The commercial extraction of this water began in 1823 in Les Gavarres, near the Costa Brava. Since 1902 it has always been sold in glass bottles, which are filled at the source so that no gas is lost. Although it is considered to have a high mineral content, there is very little sodium and the other minerals it contains are beneficial for health.
Aigua de Sant Aniol is a family business founded in 1993 that obtains water of great purity with very balanced mineral content from a spring located in a site formed of sedimented lava and volcanic rock. The addition of gas keeps the properties of this water intact and makes it a refreshing drink that goes well with any meal.
President of the Catalan Association of Sommeliers
Teacher of the School of Hospitality and Tourism of Girona
Sommelier at the Celler de Can Roca, Girona
Barista and sommelier Assessora de La Gastronòmica
Teacher and gastronomic journalist