Led by water sommelier Martin Riese, Los Angeles' Patina Restaurant Group with its 45-page water menus and $50 tasting courses has helped elevate the way people view the water flowing from their taps and bottles. While some might scoff at the suggestion that different sources of H2O offer varying discernible flavor profiles or lampoon the field with faux "bespoke" water, Riese takes his job very seriously.

"Overall, I give water the value it deserves," Riese wrote in an essay for Eater last year. "We all should drink water daily, stop wasting it, and honor it for what it is: an item of worth."

In this short documentary by MEL Films, Riese discusses how minerals impact the flavor of the water and why you should respect the H2O in your glass. The filmmakers also follow Riese to the world's first-ever water competition and trade show in Guangzhou, China. Learn more about the business of being a water sommelier in the video above.

• The Water Sommelier [Vimeo]

• How America's Only Water Sommelier Is Changing the Way People Taste H20 [E]

• All Water Coverage [E]