Sydney restaurant turns water into the new wine

By Pauline Askin

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Water is the new wine at a top-notch Sydney restaurant offering health-conscious customers "bold" or "velvety" varieties which can cost as much as some vintages.

In what appears to a first in major wine producer Australia, Kable's restaurant at Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel offers a menu of 20 types of water from around the world with descriptions that wouldn't be out of place on a fine wine menu.

"The main reason behind launching the water menu is because we are finding more and more of our guests are increasingly health conscious," Four Seasons public relations manager Sally McCann told Reuters. "Often people feel pressured into ordering a glass of wine with their meal but now customers have a choice," she said. "Our customers are really enjoying the novelty and experiencing the water as they would wine."

Some Kable's waters are listed as having "an elegant velvet character when served at room temperature" while others are described as having a "large mouth feel and is best served as a pre-dinner drink with hors d'oeuvres".

"You should match the mouth feel of the water, with the mouth feel of the dish," said restaurant manager Philippo Radrizzani.

"Normally with wine you go with the progression but with water you should go with different intensity of the carbonation in the water," he added.

"Some waters can be velvety in the mouth, while some can be a little bit harsh."

WOULD YOU LIKE WATER WITH THAT?