Recaredo

Recaredo was founded in 1924 in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia by Josep Mata Capellades, a member of the Mata family with deep roots in Catalan agriculture. The estate name honors Josep's father Recaredo Mata, marking the family's multi-generational identity within the property. Four generations have managed the estate continuously, with the current generation led by siblings Ton Mata Buxó (general manager) and Antoni Mata Casanovas (winemaker) alongside cousin Joan Mata in vineyard management. The family has consistently positioned Recaredo at the quality end of the Penedès sparkling wine spectrum, building two distinctive technical signatures (100% Brut Nature and disgorgement under cork) that distinguish the estate within the broader Penedès sparkling wine category. The 1924 founding places Recaredo in the second generation of Penedès sparkling wine producers, following the 1872 Codorníu founding work by Josep Raventós Fatjó and the 1881 Gramona founding by Pau Batlle and Bartomeu Gramona.

• Founded 1924 in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia by Josep Mata Capellades; estate name honors Josep's father Recaredo Mata, marking the family's multi-generational identity within the property.
• Four generations of continuous family ownership; current management under siblings Ton Mata Buxó (general manager) and Antoni Mata Casanovas (winemaker) alongside cousin Joan Mata.
• Second-generation Penedès sparkling estate following Codorníu (1872 Josep Raventós Fatjó founding work) and Gramona (1881 Pau Batlle and Bartomeu Gramona founding).
• Estate consistently positioned at the quality end of the Penedès sparkling wine spectrum, building distinctive technical signatures including 100% Brut Nature and disgorgement under cork.

Recaredo's approximately 60-hectare estate vineyard spans the home property at Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and additional family parcels across central Penedès. The estate adopted organic viticulture in the early 2000s and achieved full Demeter biodynamic certification within the decade, joining Gramona as one of the two earliest biodynamically certified Penedès sparkling wine producers and among the earliest in Spain across all wine categories. Vineyards center on the native Penedès trio (Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada) with smaller plantings of Chardonnay and red varieties for limited rosé production. Biodynamic protocols include cover crops, integrated livestock (sheep and horses graze between the rows), biodynamic preparations applied per the lunar calendar, hand harvest into small crates, and complete elimination of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. The Mata family's commitment to biodynamic farming long predated commercial pressure, reflecting both family philosophical alignment and the technical reality that biodynamic-farmed Xarel·lo achieves greater complexity through extended lees aging.

• Approximately 60 hectares of biodynamic estate vineyard across the Sant Sadurní d'Anoia home property and additional family parcels in central Penedès; full Demeter biodynamic certification.
• One of the two earliest biodynamically certified Penedès sparkling wine producers (alongside Gramona); also among the earliest biodynamic-certified wineries in Spain across all categories.
• Native Penedès trio (Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada) anchors plantings; smaller Chardonnay parcels and limited red varieties for rosé production complete the variety mix.
• Biodynamic protocols include cover crops, integrated livestock (sheep and horses), lunar-calendar preparations, hand harvest, and elimination of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.

Recaredo's two distinctive technical signatures define the estate's reputation. First, 100% of the range is bottled as Brut Nature (zero dosage), demonstrating the estate's commitment to terroir-driven sparkling wine that does not rely on added sweetness to balance acidity. The decision requires impeccable fruit quality and extended lees aging to develop the autolytic complexity that compensates for the absence of dosage; many global traditional-method sparkling wine producers use even minimal dosage (3 to 6 grams per liter) to soften acidity, and Recaredo's commitment to zero across the range is unusual. Second, the estate disgorges every bottle under cork rather than crown cap: rather than aging the wine on the lees with a standard crown-cap closure during second fermentation (the industry norm), Recaredo seals each bottle with a natural cork from the start, requiring careful manual disgorgement to remove sediment without damaging the cork. The practice preserves freshness through extended aging at the cost of significantly higher labor and breakage risk; only a handful of global traditional-method sparkling wine producers maintain disgorgement under cork at any commercial scale.

• 100% Brut Nature production across the entire range: zero dosage on every bottle; requires impeccable fruit quality and extended lees aging to compensate for the absence of dosage softening.
• Disgorgement under cork rather than crown cap: bottles are sealed with natural cork from the start; manual disgorgement removes sediment without damaging the cork closure.
• Disgorgement under cork preserves freshness through extended aging at higher labor and breakage cost; only a handful of global traditional-method producers maintain the practice at commercial scale.
• Combined Brut Nature + disgorgement-under-cork signature distinguishes Recaredo within the Penedès sparkling wine category and reflects the estate's terroir-driven philosophy.

Recaredo's prestige range centers on two cuvées. Turó d'en Mota is the estate's apex single-vineyard cuvée, sourced from a 1940-planted Xarel·lo parcel of approximately 1 hectare on the home estate; the wine ages minimum 9 to 10 years on the lees and is bottled only in vintages where the parcel achieves the required quality threshold. Turó d'en Mota routinely scores 95 to 98 points from major publications and trades at allocation pricing among Spain's most coveted sparkling wines. Reserva Particular is the second prestige cuvée, built on Xarel·lo and Macabeu from older estate parcels with minimum 8 to 10 years on the lees. Below the prestige tier, Recaredo produces Terrers Brut Nature (the entry-tier Corpinnat sparkling, minimum 30 to 36 months on the lees) and Subtil Brut Nature (a mid-tier expression with extended lees aging). All wines share the estate's 100% Brut Nature + disgorgement-under-cork technical signature. The prestige cuvées' extended-lees aging develops profound autolytic complexity (truffle, dried mushroom, oxidative honey, dried apricot) alongside the Penedès saline-mineral foundation.

• Turó d'en Mota: apex single-vineyard cuvée from a 1940-planted Xarel·lo parcel of approximately 1 hectare; minimum 9 to 10 years on the lees; bottled only in qualifying vintages; consistently 95-98 points.
• Reserva Particular: prestige Xarel·lo-Macabeu blend from older estate parcels; minimum 8 to 10 years on the lees; one of Spain's longest-aged traditional-method sparkling wines below the apex single-vineyard tier.
• Terrers Brut Nature: entry-tier Corpinnat sparkling; minimum 30 to 36 months on the lees; the most widely distributed expression of the estate's house style at accessible pricing.
• Subtil Brut Nature: mid-tier expression with extended lees aging; bridges Terrers and Reserva Particular in the lineup hierarchy; all releases maintain 100% Brut Nature + disgorgement-under-cork signature.

On 22 February 2019 Recaredo joined eight other Penedès sparkling wine producers (Gramona, Llopart, Torelló, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca, Mas Candí, Can Feixes Huguet, and Júlia Bernet) in formally leaving the Cava DO to launch the Corpinnat collective brand. The Corpinnat brand was registered with the EU as a collective trademark in September 2017 and commercially launched in February 2019. The nine founding producers exited Cava DO en bloc citing the appellation's failure to enforce quality standards equal to their estate ambitions. Corpinnat is not a DO but a registered EU collective brand with strict requirements: 100% organic farming, hand harvest, estate-vinified fruit, minimum 90% indigenous varieties, minimum 18 months on the lees, and territory limited to the core Penedès cluster around Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (997 km²). Recaredo's wines now carry the Corpinnat designation prominently on the label, replacing the Cava DO branding used through 2018. The 2019 Corpinnat departure followed Raventós i Blanc's 2012 Cava DO exit and is widely credited with indirectly accelerating the 2020 Cava DO regulatory overhaul that introduced Cava de Paraje Calificado at minimum 36 months on the lees.

• Recaredo joined 8 other producers (Gramona, Llopart, Torelló, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca, Mas Candí, Can Feixes Huguet, Júlia Bernet) in leaving Cava DO on 22 February 2019 to launch Corpinnat.
• Corpinnat brand registered with EU as collective trademark September 2017; formal commercial launch followed Cava DO departure in February 2019; not a DO but a registered collective brand.
• Corpinnat membership requirements: 100% organic farming, hand harvest, estate vinification, minimum 90% indigenous varieties, minimum 18 months on the lees, territory limited to 997 km² core Penedès.
• The 2019 Corpinnat departure followed Raventós i Blanc's 2012 Cava DO exit and is widely credited with accelerating the 2020 Cava DO regulatory overhaul including Cava de Paraje Calificado at minimum 36 months on the lees.