For a special dining experience

13:21 04 June 2010

It goes without saying that when we're out for dinner most of us spend a considerable amount of time pouring over the wine list.

Some have even become so wine obsessed that it even takes precedence over the food menu when we're at a restaurant.

But even if you know your claret from your Beaujolais and your wine knowledge is the envy of all your friends, you still may not be getting the most out of your bottle, and surprisingly it could all be down to what you are drinking alongside your wine.

How many times have you carefully picked out water when out for dinner? None? Well you wouldn't be alone. But the practice of 'water and wine harmonisation' is growing around the world, with even one of the world's top sommeliers Andreas Larsson now advising wine lovers on the best water and wine matches to bring out the flavour of your food.

And just as picking the perfect wine can make or break a dish, Larsson believes sipping the right water can enhance even further the food we are eating.

The dining expert, who was crowned Best Sommelier of the World in 2007, will be conducting water and wine harmonisation sessions on behalf of S. Pellegrino at the Taste of London Festival, which takes place in Regents Park from 17th to the 20th of June.

Now in its seventh year, Taste of London brings together the capital's finest chefs and restaurants with an extraordinary range of quality food and drink from Britain and around the world.

But whether you can make it to his demonstrations or not, here we have some top tips for picking the perfect type of H2O to go with your choice of tipple and food – making you think about humble water in way like never before.

In the following video Andreas Larsson runs through some of his advice for making sure you're getting the most out of your wine by selecting the perfect water accompaniment:

%%flash /player.swf?movie=/videos/other/Water_tasting.flv

For more hints on choosing the right water type for the ultimate tasting experience or to learn about the etiquette of water tasting, visit the S. Pellegrino website.