South Africa

The South African man running the world’s first fine water tasting room for R350 per person

Kirsten Minnaar • 18 August 2026

Founded by Nico Pieterse, The Library in Stellenbosch offers visitors the world’s first water-tasting experience, where one bottle of water can cost as much as R1,500.

Most people view water as a way to quench their thirst alongside a meal, rather than something to be enjoyed on its own.

However, a new movement in the fine-dining world is repositioning water as a product to be tasted, compared, and paired with food and wine. Pieterse, a certified water sommelier, is at the forefront of this movement.

Pieterse is the founder of The Fine Water Company and opened The Library at Lanzerac Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, where visitors can take part in a guided fine water tasting.

As the world’s first dedicated Fine Water Tasting Room, it offers a 45-minute experience costing R350 per person, which includes six waters – three still and three sparkling.

The tasting also includes a wine-and-water pairing, which is intended to show how different waters can affect the taste of wine and food.

Speaking on The Money Show, Pieterse said water from different parts of the world can taste different because of its mineral content and source.

“Water is not just water. Water from all different places around the world has a different taste, and some waters are more expensive than others,” he said.

Pieterse’s interest in water developed from his work with food and drinks. As a water sommelier, he considers how water pairs with food, wine, and spirits.

The idea is similar to wine, where the characteristics of a product can be influenced by where it is sourced from (its “terroir”).

“Depending on the region, we have different minerals,” he said. “Same as with grapes, water has different tastes depending on the terroir or where the water comes from.”

The Library focuses on the differences between waters. Visitors can taste water from local and international sources and compare their textures and flavours.

The collection also includes naturally carbonated water. Most sparkling water is carbonated by adding carbon dioxide. However, some water sources are naturally carbonated by gases underground.

“I have a water inside the tasting room that has a natural carbonation from natural volcanic gases in the ground, which carbonates the water naturally underground,” he said.

What makes fine water different?

One key aspect which differentiates water at The Library from normal tap water is its mineral content, Pieterse explained.

This is measured using total dissolved solids (TDS), which refers to the amount of dissolved minerals and other substances in the water.

Pieterse said mineral content can influence the taste of water and is one of the factors that separates different products. Mineral water may be classified as such only when its TDS exceeds 250 milligrams per litre.

The process used to measure TDS involves heating a litre of water until the water evaporates, leaving the dissolved solids behind. Those solids can then be weighed.

The Library’s collection includes waters with different mineral profiles, which allows visitors to compare them directly.

Some of the waters also have very different levels of naturally occurring minerals. For example, one bottle in their collection contains 4,700 milligrams of electrolytes – much more than a typical electrolyte sachet.

While Pieterse described their water as less processed than ordinary tap water, it still undergoes treatment before being bottled.

“It will go through a sediment filtration and maybe carbon filtration just to remove anything that might be in the water,” he said.

“Then it’ll go through a UV filtration, which is a light that shines onto the water to kill any bacteria, and then it goes into the bottle.”

The specific treatment process can vary depending on the source and the type of water that is being bottled, he explained.

For Pieterse, the source remains an important part of the story. He described water as a product with characteristics that can be explored in the same way people consider the origin and production of wine.

A new type of tasting experience

The Fine Water Company sells individual bottles of water, which can also be purchased online. The most expensive is a 500 ml bottle of sparkling water, which is available for R1,500.

This water originates from the Rogaška Slatina mineral springs in Slovenia, which are renowned for their high natural magnesium content.

It is filtered through ancient dolomite rock, giving it a rich, slightly salty taste and health benefits. The Fine Water Company said it is often enjoyed for its restorative and therapeutic qualities.

However, The Library is positioned as a tasting room rather than simply a place to buy bottled water. The experience takes visitors through six waters and explains differences in mineral composition, carbonation, and taste.

The wine-and-water pairing is intended to show how the choice of water can influence what people experience when drinking wine or eating food.

Pieterse said his broader goal is to introduce the concept of fine water in South Africa and encourage people to pay more attention to what they drink.

He added that the business is part of a broader effort to turn water, usually overlooked at the table, into a product that can be tasted, compared, and discussed.