Grape or grain?
Spanish drinking habits are changing. Fewer now drink
the obligatory glass of wine with lunch, more opting
instead for mineral water. Overall, wine consumption
has hit a historic low, down five per cent in 2006 alone.
And yet more cash is actually being spent onvinothan
ever: people are simply opting for DO wines rather than
table fodder. Spirits are dealing with a similar downward
trend; only beer seems to be holding its own. Perhaps
of greatest concern to the drinks industry is that more
and more Spaniards are doing their drinking at home,
not in the local bar or restaurant.Spanish youth hits thebotellón
Drinking practices that might be viewed with a wry
smile in northern Europe aren’t socially acceptable in
Spain. Staggering around drunk is seen as shameful
and Spanish men have traditionally taken more pride in
maintaining a veneer of sobriety while sinking enough
booze to fell a donkey. More often than not, drinking
goes hand in hand with eating (especiallytapas); it isn’t
pursued as a sport. However, among the young at
least, perceptions are changing. Binge drinking has
reached Spain. In particular, the nation wrestles with the
botellónphenomenon. Hundreds, sometimes
thousands of young Spaniards from early teens
upwards gather in a public place – be it park, town
centre or waste ground – and consume large quantities
of shop bought alcohol. Mass drunkenness usually
ensues, while the aftermath brings piles of rubbish and
pools of urine.The practice is banned in eight of Spain’s
autonomous regions yet remains widespread.Botellóns
(literally ‘big bottle’) are organised via email, text and
chat room activity.304- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
BYOB Seville style
In March 2006 around
5,000 Seville students
celebrated the end
of their exams with
abotellón. The media
covered it enthusiastically,
blustering about the ills of
binge drinking. But the TV
pictures simply spurred
students in other cities to
try and outdo Seville,
creating vast outdoor
parties known as
macrobotellóns. Granada
apparently pulled about
20,000 drinkers out onto
the streets.
In 2007 Spain came 12th
on the world list of alcohol
consumption. They get
through slightly less than
12 litres of pure alcohol
per person every year.
7.2.4 Drinking habits: where and when to hit the bottle