457,300 EUROS RAISED AT GRINZANE CAVOUR CASTLE FOR THE SOLIDARITY EVENT, WITH LIVE CONNECTIONS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

Grinzane Cavour, 14th November 2021 –The Castle of Grinzane Cavour – in connection with Hong Kong, Moscow, Singapore and Dubai – confirms its role as a point of reference for international charity: after having hosted the debut of “Barolo en primeur”, on Sunday 14th November the walls of the manor that once belonged to Count Camillo welcomed the 22nd edition of the Alba White Truffle World Auction®, this year back in attendance.

The big solidarity event – organized by Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour, thanks to the precious support of Regione Piemonte, together with Enit – Agenzia Nazionale Italiana del Turismo (Italian National Tourist Agency), Ente Turismo Langhe Monferrato Roero (Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourist Board), Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba (International Alba White Truffle Fair), Centro Nazionale Studi Tartufo (National Truffle Study Centre) and Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo e dei Vini d’Alba (Order of the Knights of the Truffle and the Wines of Alba) in collaboration with the Alba Music Festival – has seen the Tuber magnatum Pico, the most precious of the earth’s fruits, was the star of the event, with international bids reaching the remarkable figure of 457,300 euro raised, bringing the total to 5,739,300 euro raised since 1999. Paired with the inebriating white diamond, the large formats of the wines of the producers members of the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani.

An entrepreneur from Hong Kong won the final lot, an 830 gram trifola, for a remarkable bid of 103,000 euro.  Worthy of note, furthermore, as part of the initiative suggested by Fondazione CRC Donare, is the allocation – for an amount of 60,000 euro – of the last lot of the “Barolo en Primeur” auction, the fifteen Nebbiolo barrique, from which around 300 bottles of fine Barolo will be made in 2024. Three maxi Panettone cakes “made in Piedmont”, two of which weigh 10 kg and one 20 kg, were also offered by Albertengo, a historic company from Torre San Giorgio.

The funds raised during the 22nd Alba White Truffle World Auction® will be donated to the Alba-Bra Onlus Hospital Foundation in Italy to finance the pictorial humanization project for the paediatric ward of the Michele and Pietro Ferrero Hospital in Verduno. As for the international venues, in Hong Kong the proceeds will benefit the Mother’s Choice Institute, a charity that helps children without families. Meanwhile, Moscow will support the Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, a cutting-edge research centre specialising in haematological, oncological and immunological diseases of childhood and in molecular diagnostics. The funds raised in Singapore will ultimately go to Dreams Asia, a foundation working in the field of education.

“After last year’s very special event, at the height of the pandemic, we are pleased to be back with an edition of the Auction in presence also at Grinzane Cavour Castle, which has finally returned to welcome tourists and visitors in complete safety and with record numbers” – has stated Roberto Bodrito, president of the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour –. Together with the mayor of Alba, Carlo Bo, and the mayor of Grinzane Cavour, Gianfranco Garau, we are most happy to live in full such an important event and raise  significant funds to be donated to charity projects all over the world”.

“We are proud to have been able to contribute once again to an unmissable event that has always been a precious moment for promotion and solidarity: this is why our producers offer their prestigious bottles of Barolo and Barbaresco to pair with the Alba White Truffle lots.”, added Matteo Ascheri, president of Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba anghe e Dogliani.

 “Today we are living a very important moment, with the return in presence for a long-awaited event for the whole region – summed up Fabio Carosso, vice.president of Regione Piemonte –. The truffle is a splendid ambassador of our Piedmont region and one of the most important Made in Italy products, which is why it deserves special attention with connections from all over the world”.

THE 2021 AUCTION PERSONALITIES

The auction, held in Grinzane Cavour, was hosted by a trio composed of Enzo Iacchetti, Caterina Balivo and Paolo Vizzari, in the presence of the President of the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour Roberto Bodrito, the Vice-President of the Piedmont Region, Fabio Carosso, and the President of the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba, Langhe and Dogliani Matteo Ascheri. Special guests included the Settebello coach Alessandro Campagna, miller Fulvio Marino and Paralympic athlete Martina Caironi. A surprise appearance was made by the award-winning Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci, who was in the Langhe to record the CNN documentary “Stanley Tucci: searching for Italy”. Riccardo Monco, Chef of the Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, a world standard-bearer of the Italian cuisine of excellence, was awarded a special diploma and will be joining the list of the Alba White Truffle ambassadors.

LIVE CONNECTIONS WORLDWIDE

Joining live from Hong Kong the Auction was supported by the well-established friendship with the three-Michelin-starred chef Umberto BOMBANA, who hosted an enthusiastic audience in his celebrated restaurant “8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA”, in collaboration with Maria Pranzo di Areté food and wine.

In Moscow, it was once again the Bosco Cafe with chef Davide Corso at the Gum Department Store, overlooking the Red Square, that welcomed guests for the event, attended by the Italian Ambassador to the Russian Federation Giorgio Starace and the Tourism Councillor for the City of Alba Emanuele Bolla.

In Singapore, the auction was held inside the National Gallery at the Art Restaurant of starred chef Beppe De Vito, one of the most renowned names in food and wine excellence with his five restaurants in the Asian metropolis, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Singapore Mario Andrea Vattani.

Finally, in Dubai, to mark Expo2020, the Armani/Restaurant at the Armani/Hotel Dubai, located inside the iconic Burj Khalifa skyscraper, was the perfect setting for the event, in the company of Chef Giovanni Papi and in the presence of the Consul General of Italy Giuseppe Finocchiaro, and of Mauro Carbone, Director of the Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourist Board.

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Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour – Castello di Grinzane Cavour
Via Castello, 5 – 12060 Grinzane Cavour
Tel. +39 0173-262159 – info@castellogrinzane.com

Ufficio Stampa
Pietro Ramunno – Impresso Studio
Tel. + 39 339-5943085 – pietro@impressostudio.it