It was the surprise of the night: the botillo del Bierzo, increasingly popular and universal, has also reached Antarctica. More than 13,000 kms. away, on Decepción Island, a group of scientists and soldiers from the Army have joined this year the National Botillo de Bembibre Festival and have given a magnificent botillada, prepared with iceberg water.

The initiative came from the Bembibre City Council, upon learning that the Bercian journalist Valentín Carrera was traveling to Antarctica as a chronicler of the XXX Spanish Scientific Expedition. With the stealth of a secret mission, the Mayor of Bembibre, Manuel Otero, sent to the Gabriel de Castilla Base half a full dozen botillos, with their strings of sausages and a box of mencía from the San Román de Bembibre vines. The hospitality and magnificent disposition of the Army Antarctic mission did the rest.

On the eve of the Bembibre Festival, upon returning from a seismological exploration in Caleta Péndulo, the expedition members stocked up on good chunks of iceberg, recently detached from the Blue Glacier, one of the most beautiful and spectacular places on the volcanic island Decepción. In the kitchen of the Base, the chefs Álex Garrido and Sergio Hermosel arranged the appropriate pots for the first Antarctic botillación: botillos cooked in the purest iceberg water. A unique and exclusive flavor.

At dinner time, the entire crew eagerly awaited the celebration of the Botillo Festival, which was greeted with jokes and applause. Valentín Carrera gave the Base as a souvenir a copy of Gil and Carrasco’s novel El Señor de Bembibre, and offered the toast: “It is an honor to share the first botillo del Bierzo in Antarctica with this wonderful company, the Army of Tierra and the researchers of the XXX Campaign. On behalf of Bembibre, and of all of El Bierzo, I want to express my gratitude to everyone, and especially to Commander Vélez. Like Antarctica, El Bierzo is a land without borders, open, hospitable, in which we await your visit with open arms —and raising his glass of Mencía, he concluded—: For Science, for Antarctica and for El Bierzo! ! ”.

“For the botillo, for El Bierzo, and for Spain!”, Offered the Base commander, Daniel Vélez, from Zaragoza, sending a fraternal greeting to the 1,200 guests who were gathering at the Bembibre Festival pavilion at that time. , where the first botillada berciana in Antarctica was broadcast on video, by surprise, astonishing everyone present, who welcomed the toast from Deception Island with warm applause.