The best premium sparkling water: a comparison

There is no single best sparkling water, only the right water for the moment in front of you. A bottle that carries a rich, fatty dish beautifully can overwhelm a delicate first course, and a gentle low-mineral sparkling can vanish beside strong flavors. We read each water's own mineral analysis and compare on four axes: total dissolved solids (TDS), carbonation character, origin, and flavor character. What follows is a fair reading of six premium sparkling waters, each with the contexts it serves best. If the vocabulary here is new, our note on what TDS means in water is a useful companion.

Perrier

Perrier is drawn from the Les Bouillens spring at Vergeze, in the Gard, southern France. Its TDS sits around 475 mg/L, with a pH near 5.5, which places it in a moderate mineral range. The defining trait is the bead: fine, firm, and persistent, giving a crisp and dry impression on the palate. That firmness is why Perrier works as an aperitif and holds its own at the table without rounding off. Best for a bright start to a meal, or anywhere you want carbonation to stay sharp rather than soften. Browse the range at Perrier.

S.Pellegrino

S.Pellegrino comes from San Pellegrino Terme in the Val Brembana, Lombardy, Italy, with a TDS of roughly 970 mg/L, higher than Perrier and more mineral in feel. Its perlage is softer and medium-fine, giving a rounder mouthfeel that reads as food-friendly rather than cutting. This is the classic partner to Italian cooking, where its body and gentler bubble sit alongside a dish instead of scrubbing the palate clean. Best for a full meal, particularly one with some richness or acidity to meet. Find it at S.Pellegrino.

Tŷ Nant Sparkling

Tŷ Nant Sparkling is sourced from Bethania in Ceredigion, west Wales, and is sold in its distinctive bottle. Its published TDS is around 165 mg/L, the lowest here, which makes it a genuinely low-mineral sparkling. The character is soft and gentle, with little mineral presence to assert itself. Best for delicate palates, lighter first courses, and drinkers who prefer their water to stay quiet and clean rather than mineral. Order it as Tŷ Nant Sparkling Natural Mineral Water.

Vichy Catalan

Vichy Catalan is a water for a specific purpose. Drawn from the thermal spring at Caldes de Malavella in Catalonia, Spain, it carries a very high TDS of around 3052 mg/L, with a pH near 6.9 and notable sodium and bicarbonate. The result is strongly saline and savory, a bold, mineral, almost salty sparkling. It is not an everyday neutral water, and it is not meant to be. What it does well is stand up to rich or fatty food, where its salinity acts almost as a seasoning across the palate. Best reserved for that role, with cured meats, fried dishes, or anything unctuous. See it at Vichy Catalan.

Borsec

Borsec is a long-established Central European mineral water from the Borsec basin in the Eastern Carpathians, Romania. Its TDS is around 900 mg/L with a pH near 6.5, putting it in a solidly mineral middle ground alongside S.Pellegrino. The character is lively and mineral, with real presence but without the salinity of Vichy Catalan. Best for a versatile table water when you want something mineral and characterful that still reads as approachable across a range of dishes. Order it as Borsec Sparkling Mineral Water 1.5 L.

Galvanina

Galvanina is bottled from the hills above Rimini, near the Adriatic coast of Italy, with a TDS of roughly 1100 mg/L and a pH near 7.6, the highest pH in this group. That higher pH and mineral content give it a rounded, mineral character rather than a sharp one. Best for those who want a mineral Italian sparkling with a smoother, less acidic edge, comfortable both on its own and with food. Browse it at Galvanina.

How to choose

The four axes make the choice manageable. For carbonation, Perrier is the firmest and driest, while S.Pellegrino and Tŷ Nant read softer. For mineral weight, Tŷ Nant sits lowest, Perrier moderate, Borsec, S.Pellegrino, and Galvanina in the mineral middle, and Vichy Catalan far higher and distinctly saline. Mapped to context:

• Light aperitivo: Perrier, for its crisp, dry bead, or Tŷ Nant for something softer.
• With rich or fatty food: Vichy Catalan, whose salinity cuts through, with Borsec or S.Pellegrino as more moderate alternatives.
• As a palate cleanser between courses: Perrier, whose firm carbonation resets the palate cleanly.
• Low-mineral preference: Tŷ Nant, the lightest here at around 165 mg/L.
• A rounded, everyday mineral pour: Galvanina or Borsec.

A word on carbonation itself: some sparkling waters are naturally carbonated at source, and others are bottled with carbonation added from natural sources. If the distinction matters to you, our note on spring water, mineral water, and purified water sets out the terms. The full selection lives in our sparkling range.

All six of these waters are available by the case at Artisanal Aqua. You can compare and order the complete sparkling range to find the bottle that suits your table.