Carlos Mauricio Morales

Carlos Mauricio Morales Sevil (* 1852 or 1853 in Albuñol ; † July 7, 1917 in La Palma del Condado ) was a Spanish wine manufacturer and mayor of La Palma del Condado.

biography

Morales came from Albuñol, Granada . The prevailing crisis in the wine industry there, caused by the spread of phylloxera in 1883 , prompted him, like other compatriots, to emigrate to Jerez de la Frontera . Alcohol from Albuñol was imported there for blending. Morales already had family connections to Jerez, including the spirits manufacturer Mauricio Sevil.

In the surrounding towns, Carlos Mauricio Morales, who first appeared as a trader, was generally known as the flour uncle ( el tío de la harina ). In 1893 he decided to settle in La Palma del Condado and concentrate entirely on the wine industry. Morales had family ties here, too, and they were in the process of building the infrastructure that would enable an increased export of wines to France, among other places.

There were also bottlenecks there due to the action of phylloxera, and at this point lengthy negotiations between the two countries had already taken place, which now made it possible to export the wine. The La Palma train station, near which Morales set up his bodega, played a special role in the town's economic development.

Bodegas Loewenthal-Morales

Since Morales had little practical experience in the production of wine, he founded his bodega together with the German winemaker Frederick Loewenthal, who had immigrated a few years earlier. At first it was a humble company that was not mentioned in the press until 1898.

In the same year, however, the construction of a larger factory began, which was completed and commissioned in 1902. This area with an area of ​​13,000 m² is now an industrial monument.

Frederick Loewenthal left the company around 1904 (officially 1911) to return to Germany.

Political activity

On March 24, 1907, Carlos Mauricio Morales was elected mayor. He held this post until 1909. The local press of the time reported both the successes of his tenure as well as the neglect of various problems of the place. Morales was also politically active in the Conservative Party and twice became president of the provincial government on a temporary basis.

Death and aftermath

During a session on July 7, 1917 , Carlos Mauricio Morales died unexpectedly of a stroke at the age of 64.

The six children took over the company as "Hijos de Carlos M. Morales, SL". After his death, a street in La Palma del Condado was named after Carlos Mauricio Morales. His granddaughter Josefina Carlota Morales Lopez Huici became the town's first wine queen in 1961.

In 1965 the portfolio and brands of Bodegas Morales were taken over by Rubio. To this day, it produces the high-quality Luis Felipe brandy introduced by Carlos Mauricio Morales .

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• Read "Bodegas Morales". La Palma del Condado y otros espacios bodegueros. Documentos de Arquitectura y Patrimonio N ° 2, Departamento de Proyectos Arquitectónicos ETSA, Universidad de Sevilla, 2009

References

1. ↑ Galerie der Weinköniginnen  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from La Palma del Condado  

Web links

• Website of Bodegas Rubio
• Platform for the protection of the cultural heritage of La Palma del Condado