i. Biography
At Recaredo, Ton Mata works inside a three-generation family line that has been sharpened by use rather than softened by habit. In Corpinnat and the Penedès, his role has been to carry organic and biodynamic sparkling wine forward under a discipline built on rigour, authenticity, transparency, and patience. Those terms function as working standards, not branding language: they shape decisions from vineyard to cellar to final presentation. As CEO, Mata has led the house with the measured steadiness required by a method that has to hold over time, not only from one release to the next.
The Climb
The technical base behind that responsibility came through study and exposure across several institutions. Ton Mata trained at Navarre Viticulture and Oenology Station (EVENA), Veuve Clicquot, and Polytechnic University of Madrid, building a foundation that connected precision in the cellar with a broader international wine vocabulary. He also studied at EADA. That combination of formal learning and practical exposure gave him the kind of range needed at Recaredo, where exacting standards are part of the house’s identity rather than an added layer. At Recaredo, his work first passed through technical management of the estate (2000–2010), a decade shaped by the detail work that usually stays out of view: cellar rhythm, aging oversight, and the upkeep of a coherent house style. He then moved into Managing Director (2010–2019), taking on wider responsibility while staying within the same framework of method and discipline. Today, Ton is CEO of Recaredo (since 2019) and president of Corpinnat, placing him at the point where house leadership and regional advocacy meet.
Today
As president of Corpinnat, Ton Mata is direct about standards. His line, “we can put more strict rules into place than an appellation can,” lays out a working position that favors self-discipline over convenience and clarity over looseness. In that view, transparency and patience are operational tools, not abstract values, and they shape how wine is fermented, aged, and presented. The leadership style is plain in its logic: process is part of the message, and method carries as much weight as the finished pour. The family structure gives that method more weight. Mata is the third generation of the Recaredo winery family, and the continuity technical choices accumulate across years. The estate is treated as a place where decisions do not reset with each vintage; they build on what came before. In that context, the past is neither repeated mechanically nor discarded. It is worked with carefully, and the work itself becomes the inheritance.
Signature
Ton's signature wines include Homenatge a Josep Mata Capellades and Recaredo L’Infinit.
Recognition
The recognition attached to Ton Mata is not built around a single cuvée standing apart from the rest, but around a method that is legible in the cellar. Native yeast cultivation, bottle fermentation without sugar addition, and secondary fermentation under cork define the work as much as any label does. These practices give the reputation its shape: method before spectacle, standards before language. For Mata, the distinction lies in consistency and conviction, and in a body of work that keeps Recaredo’s long memory active while still pushing it forward.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ton
What is Ton Mata's current role?
As of 2026, Ton Mata is CEO.
Where did Ton Mata train or study?
Ton Mata trained at Navarre Viticulture and Oenology Station (EVENA) and Veuve Clicquot.
What is Ton Mata known for?
Rigour, authenticity, transparency, and patience.
