World Alba White Truffle Auction The world in one room at Grinzane Cavour

The whole world in one room. Wrapped in the scent of truffles, inside a castle overlooking the vineyards of the Langhe.

Outside, autumn paints the hills in shades of ochre, red and brown. Inside, the protagonists take the stage like superstars: irregular shapes, just a few hundred grams in weight, and bids capable of crossing oceans.

This is the World Alba White Truffle Auction, which on Sunday, November 8, 2026, brought together guests, chefs and philanthropists at Grinzane Cavour Castle for its twenty-seventh edition. The result: €545,800 raised for charitable projects, the second-highest amount in the event’s history.

From Grinzane to the world: one single event

At 1 PM Italian time, time zones seem to disappear. Screens connect Grinzane with Hong Kong, Bangkok, Vienna, Macau, London, Vilnius and Brasília, while from Kenya comes the voice of North Kinangop Catholic Hospital.

Restaurants and diplomatic offices become so many rooms of a single auction. Ambassadors, chefs and local representatives accompany the truffle on its journey: over 41,000 ideal kilometers, covered within the time of a single connection.

The bidding is driven by Caterina Balivo and food journalist Paolo Vizzari. Joining them are this edition’s godfather Edoardo Leo and Andrea Bosca, both ambassadors for Every Child Is My Child. The event is organized by the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour.

Under the spotlight, the Tuber magnatum Pico arrives accompanied by the region’s great wines: Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, Asti DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG. Completing the lots, Albertengo panettoni in ten and twenty kilogram sizes. For one day, even pastry takes center stage.

«One hundred thousand»
the hundred-thousand-euro bid

The most anticipated moment arrives with two “twin” truffles, found together, with a combined weight of 850 grams. They are presented by Mario Aprile, president of the Union of Piedmontese Trifulau Associations, accompanied by his tabui Jack.

The starting bid is twenty thousand euros. Offers pass from one location to another, with Grinzane reaching eighty thousand. Then comes the wait, before the decisive bid from Hong Kong: one hundred thousand euros. The lot also includes large-format wine bottles and a twenty-kilogram panettone.

«Like a movie, better than a movie, all live», one of the guests comments. In the words gathered in the room, you can feel the tension of those minutes: eyes on the screen, waiting for a response, then bidding starts again.

The truffle worth twice as much

A 300-gram truffle is awarded to Lino Stoppani for €12,000. He puts it back up for auction, and bidding resumes: Guido Borghi offers another €14,000. The same truffle thus contributes €26,000 to the fundraising total.

Beyond the gavel: where the solidarity reaches

Since 1999, the event has raised a total of over €8.2 million. Behind the numbers lie care, research, education and support for people in need.

Among the organizations supported by the funds raised at Grinzane are:

• Every Child Is My Child, dedicated to helping children affected by war;
• the Piedmontese Foundation for Cancer Research of Candiolo;
• La Collina degli Elfi, in Govone;
• the Amici di Bruno Frea, supporting the hospital of North Kinangop, in Kenya.

The network extends to locations abroad too. In Hong Kong, for example, funds go to Mother’s Choice, which helps children without families; in Bangkok, they support education in Thailand’s most remote areas. The truffle’s journey continues even after the last bid.

Before the spotlight: the trifolao and their dogs

Alongside the celebrities, the castle also hosts the true protagonists of the search: the trifolao, the truffle hunters, with their dogs.

Before the cameras come the trips into the woods, often in the dark, the knowledge of the places, and the attention to every sign from the animal.

The trifole, as they are called here, are sought together with the tabui: work companions whose training requires time, patience, and trust.

A trifolao, during the auction, puts it into words that say more than any explanation could:

You have to raise our dogs mostly with love.

It’s the bond between the international stage and the land where it all begins. In the words of Piedmont Region president Alberto Cirio, «here, nature remains in charge».

Outside Grinzane Cavour Castle, the hills are still the same as at the start: autumn vineyards, woods and paths. The truffle has traveled the world. Its story, though, always begins here, with a hunter and a dog.