Formatgeria Linens
Goat's cheese dairy of three sisters in Bellmunt del Priorat, making mató and soft and semi-cured goat's cheeses, sold in the village and at Falset's Tuesday market.
About Mató
A fresh, unsalted Catalan cheese made from whole milk heated much harder than for other cheeses, so the whey proteins set in the curd: ACREFA says above 85 degrees C, Catalan Wikipedia 80 to 95 degrees for one to three minutes. ACREFA says it was historically goat's milk and is now replaced by cow's. The name appears in the medieval Sent Soví cookbook, and mató with honey is a classic Catalan dessert. Its heartland is central Catalonia; in the Priorat, the Pizarro family has made mató at its dairy in Cornudella de Montsant since 1996, according to the comarca's tourist board.
Made in: Traditionally central Catalonia: an arc of about 100 km around Barcelona taking in Bages, Osona, the south of Berguedà and the upper parts of the Penedès, Anoia and Vallès, according to ACREFA. In the Priorat it is made at Cornudella de Montsant, according to the comarca's tourist board
On the plate
Catalan Wikipedia describes a milky, mild, moist taste with a short finish and a granular or gelled texture. ACREFA calls the colour clearly white, with no special smell, a delicate moist taste recalling milk, and a soft, light texture.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Mató
Naturally sweet Garnacha, DO Montsant Priorat
Our pickACREFA says mató is usually eaten with honey, jam, nuts or a sweet liqueur. A sweet late-harvest Garnacha from Falset with dried-fruit richness stands in for the honey: the cheese stays milky, the wine brings the sweetness.
Muscat ancestral sparkling, off-dry Penedes
Our pickMató is unsalted, milky and mild, and is eaten as a dessert with honey. This Muscat ancestral sparkling is off-dry at 6.5% alcohol, with white peach, lychee and a soft bubble, so it plays the part of the honey without overwhelming the curd.
Vi ranci, oxidatively aged Garnacha, DOQ Priorat Priorat
Our pickACREFA lists a sweet liqueur or spirit among mató's usual partners. An off-dry Garnacha vi ranci, aged oxidatively in small oak casks, brings a nutty rancio note and a touch of sweetness to the cheese's plain milk.
Semi-dry Cava Penedes
Our pickUnsalted mató invites sweetness, as in honey or jam. This semi-dry Cava has about 37 g/l residual sugar, with ripe pear, quince and a creamy mousse, so it supplies that sweetness while the bubbles lift the soft, granular curd.
Dry steel-fermented Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo white, DOQ Priorat Priorat
Our pickACREFA describes mató as clearly white, with a delicate taste recalling milk. These dry whites are fermented in steel with little or no oak and carry high or medium acidity, so they freshen the cheese without covering it.
Fresh unoaked Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo white, DO Montsant Priorat
Our pickACREFA describes mató as clearly white, with a delicate taste recalling milk. These light, dry Montsant whites are fermented in steel without oak and have high acidity, a clean lift for a fresh, unsalted cheese.
The grapes behind these winesGarnacha BlancaGarnachaMuscatMacabeo
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Formatges Pizarro
Family dairy in Cornudella de Montsant making fresh cow's cheese, mató and cured cheeses since 1996, sold at the dairy, in village shops and at the cooperative cellar.
Xerigots
Affineur in a 19th-century cellar in Vilafranca. It selects artisan cheeses from other makers and ages them in vats that once held wine, rather than making cheese itself. Sells cheese selections and some wine online for delivery or pick-up at its workshop, and supplies restaurants and wine shops.
Torrevejano Xarcuters, Vilafranca
Ham and charcuterie shop in Vilafranca whose own site describes a range of Spanish and international cheeses, sold in its shops rather than online. Also in Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú and Santa Coloma de Gramenet.
Fontanals Delicatessen, Sitges
Gourmet shop of a second-generation charcuterie family selling Iberian ham, cheeses and charcuterie, with tasting in the shop, a second shop in Sant Pere de Ribes, an online shop and catering.
Cheese experiences nearby
Visit and cheese meal at Xerigots
A tour of the ageing workshop, a former wine storehouse of the 19th century with ceramic vats, then a meal of 20 cheeses with 5 wines at one of five tables. Weekends, usually at 13:00 or 20:00, in Catalan, up to 36 people; a non-alcoholic option is offered.
Vespreig, Thursday evening tasting at Xerigots
A Thursday after-work tasting of 4 wines with 12 Xerigots cheeses at the workshop, led in Catalan. Tasting only, with no visit to the ageing room.
Wine visit with local cheeses at Costers del Priorat
A winery visit through the modern cellar and the old rooms where Carthusian monks made wine in the 15th century, then three DOQ Priorat wines tasted with local cheeses.
Five-cheese pairing at Vins El Cep
Guided visit to the vineyard and cellar of a biodynamic estate at Can Llopart de les Alzines, then a commented pairing of five Catalan cheeses with its wines and Cavas, set up as a contrast pairing and a complementary one. Its own page lists Blanc de Sora, Puigpedrós, Lligat de cabra, Serrat and Blau ceretà. Monday to Saturday by prior booking, minimum two people; wheelchair accessible.
Wine and artisan cheese pairing at Jean Leon
Guided winery visit with a pairing of 4 wines and 4 artisan cheeses. Saturdays in Catalan, Sundays and holidays in Spanish, both at 11:15. Ages 7 to 17 pay EUR 22 and get cheeses and grape juice; under 7 free, with grape juice.
Visit and workshop at Camins del Nord
Visits and cheese workshops at a small raw-milk dairy in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Monday to Friday by prior reservation, according to its own site. ACREFA adds tastings and direct sale of its sheep's and cow's milk cheeses.
Mató: questions
What is mató?
A fresh Catalan cheese made with whole milk, heated hard and eaten within days. Catalan Wikipedia says it is white or yellowish white and bright, with a granular or gelled texture, and a milky, mild taste.
How is mató usually eaten?
ACREFA says it is usually eaten as a dessert or between meals, with honey, sugar, jam, sweet fruit or nuts, or with a sweet liqueur or spirit to bring out its sweetness. Catalan Wikipedia calls mel i mató a simple Catalan dessert of a slice of cheese with honey.
Is mató a protected cheese?
Not yet. Catalan Wikipedia says the Catalan agriculture department and the mató makers' association are promoting a Protected Geographical Indication for it.
Is mató made in the Priorat?
The Priorat tourist board says the Pizarro family's dairy in Cornudella de Montsant has made fresh cow's cheese and mató since 1996. Formatgeria Linens of Bellmunt del Priorat lists a mató of pasteurised organic goat's milk, in 250 g tubs, in its online shop.
Plan the trip
Visit Mató country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Penedes
Penedes Wine & Cava Tasting & 4WD Vineyards Tour from Barcelona
All 22 experiences in PenedesBooking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: acrefa.cat, www.turismepriorat.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.