Spa (mineral water)
Encyclopedia
Spa is a brand of mineral water
from Spa
, Belgium
, and is owned by the Spadel Group. Spa mineral water has been bottled since the end of the 16th century and is very common in Western Europe
and especially in the Benelux
countries and Germany
but is also exported to other parts of the world. Spa Mineral Water is distributed in the UK by Aqua Amore Ltd. Spa mineral water comes from the grounds of the Hautes Fagnes, of which the upper layers exists from heath land
and peat
.
Spa mineral water is available in bottles of three litres, two litres, one and a half liter, one liter, 75 cl, 50 cl, 30 cl and 25 cl. It is also available in 33 cl cans. There are several types of Spa mineral water.
The water comes from different sources which are characterised by their difference in minerals.
In a Dutch restaurant, for example, if a customer wishes sparkling mineral water, he will most commonly ask for "Spa rood". Generally, the waiter would not expect that the customer wants Spa brand specifically, nor would the customer expect Spa specifically.
This generic use of the brand name Spa is not the case in Flanders
, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
from Spa
Spa, Belgium
Spa is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liège. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountain chain, some southeast of Liège, and southwest of Aachen. As of 1 January 2006, Spa had a total population of 10,543...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and is owned by the Spadel Group. Spa mineral water has been bottled since the end of the 16th century and is very common in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and especially in the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
countries and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
but is also exported to other parts of the world. Spa Mineral Water is distributed in the UK by Aqua Amore Ltd. Spa mineral water comes from the grounds of the Hautes Fagnes, of which the upper layers exists from heath land
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
and peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
.
Spa mineral water is available in bottles of three litres, two litres, one and a half liter, one liter, 75 cl, 50 cl, 30 cl and 25 cl. It is also available in 33 cl cans. There are several types of Spa mineral water.
Variants
The several types of Spa mineral water are instantly recognizable by their color of the label. These labels are blue, red or green.- Spa Reine (Spa blue). It contains no carbonationCarbonationCarbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. The process usually involves carbon dioxide under high pressure. When the pressure is reduced, the carbon dioxide is released from the solution as small bubbles, which cause the solution to "fizz." This effect is seen in carbonated...
and has a very low amount of minerals. - Spa Barisart (Spa red). It contains few minerals and some carbonation.
- Spa Marie-Henriette. It contains natural carbonation.
The water comes from different sources which are characterised by their difference in minerals.
The Netherlands
In The Netherlands the brand Spa has historically been so pervasive that it has become a generic term for mineral water. Spa rood is a generic term for sparkling water, as the label for sparkling Spa is red. Likewise, Spa blauw , and meaning "Spa blue") is a generic term for still (non-carbonated) mineral water, as the label for non-carbonated Spa is blue.In a Dutch restaurant, for example, if a customer wishes sparkling mineral water, he will most commonly ask for "Spa rood". Generally, the waiter would not expect that the customer wants Spa brand specifically, nor would the customer expect Spa specifically.
This generic use of the brand name Spa is not the case in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.
See also
- EvianEvianEvian is a French brand of mineral water coming from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.Today, Evian is owned by Danone Group, a French multinational company...
- GerolsteinerGerolsteiner BrunnenGerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG is a leading German mineral water firm with its seat in Gerolstein in the Eifel mountains. It is well-known for its Gerolsteiner Sprudel brand, a bottled, naturally carbonated mineral water...
- PerrierPerrierPerrier is a brand of bottled mineral water made from a spring in Vergèze in the Gard département of France. The spring is naturally carbonated...
- RamlösaRamlösaRamlösa is a brand of carbonated mineral water from a source in Ramlösa Brunnspark in the southern part of Helsingborg, Sweden. Ramlösa goes back to the year 1707 when a health spa around the source was founded by Johan Jacob Döbelius....
- San PellegrinoSan PellegrinoSan Pellegrino is a brand of mineral water with naturally occurring carbonation and additional carbonation added by the bottler, produced and bottled at San Pellegrino Terme, in the Province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy...