The European Commission has approved Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for four Slovak mineral waters: Sulinka, Lipovská minerálna voda Salvator, Korytnica/Korytnická and Baldovská minerálna voda.
PGI is an EU scheme that protects product names linked to a specific place, meaning at least one stage of production must take place in the named region, the Commission noted in a release on Thursday.
Sulinka comes from the northern slopes of the Sliboň massif and is described as naturally carbonated — with carbon dioxide coming directly from the source rather than being added — with bottling dating back to 1836.
Lipovská minerálna voda Salvator originates in Slovakia’s Prešov district and is naturally aerated with carbon dioxide, with the first documented mention dating to the 18th century.
From Ružomberok to Levoča
Korytnica/Korytnická is drawn from two mineral-water sources in the district of Ružomberok and is sold as sparkling, semi-sparkling or still natural mineral water, with all production stages taking place in the region, the Commission said.
Baldovská minerálna voda comes from the district of Levoča and is sold as natural or flavoured mineral water, including orange, grapefruit, lemon, sour cherry and lemon, and flavours such as pitahaya, kiwano and lime, and pomelo.
More than 3,900 protected names are now listed in the EU’s eAmbrosia register of geographical indications, the Commission said.
