WORLD TRUFFLE AUCTION

PROCEEDS FROM GRINZANE CASTLE
TOTAL OVER 250,000 EUROS
THE 2006 AUCTION BEATS ALL RECORDS
FINAL LOT SOLD TO HONG KONG
FOR 125,000 EUROS

The VIII edition of the World White Truffle of Alba Auction broke all records, with overall proceeds of 254,500 Euros spread over the three locations linked by satellite: Grinzane, Paris and Hong Kong.
The highest single bid arrived from Hong Kong, where a record 125,000 Euros was reached for the final lot after an exciting battle between rival bidders. The lot comprised three separate specimens weighing 500-600 gr. each, for a total of more than 1.5 kg.
One of the bidders for this lot was also one of the central figures featuring throughout the auction: Gerard Depardieu in Paris (Les Ambassadeurs Restaurant), who did manage to purchase another truffle with a bid of 25,000 Euros.
The Truffle Auction’s great appeal is therefore confirmed once again, along with its remarkable capacity to attract attention and considerable bids, helped by its charitable goals.
Worth noting also is the fact that, while in past editions the lots attracting the highest bids were specimens of rare dimensions, the new record figure was reached by a lot made up of several truffles. This goes to show that in the end it is quality that counts, rather than exceptional size, and that it is the taste and aroma of the White Truffle of Alba that exercises such great allure. The President of the Regional Enoteca, Senator Tomaso Zanoletti, and the President of the Region of Piedmont, Mercedes Bresso, were joined for the occasion by Ricky Tognazzi, Simona Izzo, Edelfa Chiara Masciotta (Miss Italy 2005), and a public that included leading representatives from the worlds of Italian politics, culture and business.
The Auction was conducted for the eighth time by Davide Paolini, assisted by the popular television presenter Gerry Scotti, a fan of quality food & wine who proved to be completely at his ease in this context.
The "Ambassador of the White Truffle of Alba in the World" award was given to one of the greatest chefs in Spain and Europe, Martin Berasategui, whose restaurant is near San Sebastian, and to Kashirin Maxim, an important distributor of Italian wines in Russia. Senator Tomaso Zanoletti, President of the Regional Enoteca of Grinzane Cavour and inventor of the Auction, expressed his satisfaction: "The 2005 edition has once again shown what an absolutely extraordinary event the Auction is. The truffle has proved to be an outstanding tool for publicizing and promoting our area, as well as being the focus of an event which has been able to do so much for charity".
The proceeds of the Auction in Italy and France will go to the Cancer Research and Care Institute in Candiolo, Italy, and in Hong Kong to the Mother’s Choice charity.