I first stumbled upon the word botellón in a local news story last summer.
I figured it must mean a “party with bottles” or a “boozy party” so I dutifully added it to my Memrise app, thinking I’d use it at some point.
Turns out, I had no idea just how off-target my assumption was.
Flash forward to this week: I finally got to use my shiny new piece of vocabulary and it ended in total embarrassment.
(As per!)
A Misunderstood Invite
Last September, my husband Paul and I treated ourselves to an anniversary trip to the Priorat region near Tarragona.
We booked a private Priorat wine tour guided by the charming Anthony at Barcelona Inside and Out and hopped between three gorgeous wineries. By the end, we’d collected a modest but very posh stack of bottles—deep reds bursting with that famous mineral edge. We’d been saving them ever since for a special occasion.
That occasion presented itself last Sunday afternoon.
The weather was glorious so we invited our neighbours over for a bit of a do to herald the New Year.
The plan was simple: finger food, some questionable homemade paella, and a taste of our prized Priorat wines.
Earlier that morning, Pedro and Mari Carmen had been by to help plant pea vines in our little veggie patch, and as they were leaving, I chirped:
“¡Venid esta tarde, tenemos vino bueno! ¡Vamos a hacer un botellón!”
Pedro nearly toppled over backwards, laughing so hard tears ran down his cheeks. Mari Carmen doubled over in hysterics.
Oops. I’d done it again!
What Botellón Really Means
When the initial giggles died down, they politely explained that a botellón is not a refined wine-tasting affair.
Quite the opposite.
Botellón is associated with teenagers or young adults gathering in public spaces late at night with cheap booze, plastic cups and typically leaving a spectacular mess of bottles behind by morning.
Cities across Spain have tried to ban or control these “street drinking” parties.
(Unsuccessfully, of course!)
If you break down the word linguistically it’s simply botella (“bottle”) with the augmentative suffix -ón tacked on. In other words, a “big bottle” session.
Naturally, this is a world away from the cozy Sunday afternoon tasting of pricey Priorat reserves I’d been envisioning.
No wonder Pedro and Mari Carmen were in stitches!
The Joy of Learning the Hard Way
Once again, I’m reminded how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Spanish is brimming with “false friends” which means slang words and cultural references that can go completely awry if you’re not careful.
But honestly, these mishaps often lead to the best learning moments.
You have to roll with it!
So, if you’re ever hoping to invite someone over for a nice glass of wine, don’t say “vamos a hacer un botellón” unless you plan on hosting a midnight street party with plastic cups and questionable vodka.
And if you do, well, at least you’ll have an unforgettable story 🙂
