2011 White Truffle Worldwide Auction in Italy

The Castello di Grinzane Cavour in Alba, in the Italian Piedmont region, has hosted this year’s Worldwide Auction of White Alba Truffle: one of the most anticipated events for foodies in the whole year, it attracts truffle fans from all over the world. For 2011, the “black diamond” weighing 1.253 grams was sold for 98,000 euro.

Like every year since 1999, a satellite connection connected some of the world’s most important cities (New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Tokyo, etc), to the auction, even though the main competition turned out to be a head to head contest between Italy and China. Last year, in fact, a buyer in Hong Kong bought a 936 gram truffle for 105,000 euro!

The Piedmont city of Alba and Hong Kong have put on the block five truffles, and arrived at the Gran Finale in which Hong Kong was awarded with the most expensive piece, contested in real time among the two countries. But the affiliation between Italy and China is not limited to just the passion for gourmet foods. This year, once again, the proceeds from the Auction will be donated to the Changing Young Lives of Hong Kong and to local institutes in Alba who work in the social fields.

Photo courtesy Castello di Grinzane Cavour