Born in Jerez in 1923 and now in his early
nineties, Antonio left school at only nine years old and helped out in his
father’s despacho de vinos, “Los Palitos” in the Calle Sevilla. Being so young
he needed to stand on a wooden crate to reach the sink to wash glasses, but
over time he quickly learned about the bodega business. Aged 23 he married
Josefa Morilla Nuño and they had two sons and seven daughters during a very
happy marriage which lasted 54 years till Josefa’s death in 2000.
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| (foto:cosasdecome) |
The cooperage
After leaving his father’s business Antonio
continued working in bars, first as an employee and later as the owner. His
enterprising spirit saw him work also as a broker for all sorts of bodega-related
businesses, and he travelled all round Spain on a Vespa scooter offering
products such as parcels of wine or wine barrels. It was not long before he set
up his own cooperage business, but at first this was very hard as it was
difficult to finance the raw materials. By the end of the 1940s into the early
1950s however, he was already selling small numbers of barrels to various bodegas
in the Rioja. Now the firm, Tonelería Páez Lobato, has all the best equipment
and a prestigious list of clients including famous bodegas in various parts of
Spain and distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, the USA and Japan.
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| The cooperage trademark |
The “Vinegar King”
In 1945 he foresaw a commercial future for
vinegar and embarked on another venture, Bodegas Páez Morilla. Buying parcels
of vinegar from bodegas and putting them in a special vinegar solera. Some of
these parcels were young and some very old. At the time vinegar was seen as
just another product but Antonio felt that Jerez vinegar had the potential to
be great since it was made from a base of Sherry. At the tender age of 22 he
started to promote Vinagre de Jerez to anyone who would listen, gradually
converting it into a product of exceptional quality and highly appreciated in
international cuisine. Thanks to his efforts, most Sherry bodegas now offer
their own Sherry Vinegar and a Denominación de Origen Vinagre de Jerez was
established in 1994 with its own Consejo Regulador. Antonio was soon nicknamed
“The Vinegar King”, and the firm now offers a range of top quality vinegars and
Doña Pepa vinegar-based balsamic sauces.
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| One of the vinegar soleras |
The table Wine
In 1976 he acquired a vineyard called Viña La
Vicaria near Arcos with the idea of producing table wine, a product which would
not have to compete with the established Sherry firms. The white wine he
produced was launched in 1981 under the brand name Tierra Blanca, and a red
wine soon followed called Viña Lucía. These were among the first bottled table
wines from Cádiz, and though they were viewed with scepticism by the Sherry
bodegas, most now offer table wines as well – and they too now have a
Denominación de Origen: Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz, established in 2005.
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| A view of some of the vineyard |
The Sherry
It was perhaps inevitable that Páez Morilla
would enter the world of Sherry, and in 1992 Antonio's son Jose purchased the three
surviving bodegas which once formed part of the complex of twelve owned by
Palomino and Vergara. These used to be known as the “Apostles” since Christ
had twelve disciples. The bodega is called Dios Baco after the statue on the apex of the roof, and was constructed in
1848. A range of very high quality Sherries is produced here, and there is also
a despacho de vinos.
The Roundabout
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| Antonio with the mayor at the inauguration of his roundabout |
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