White truffle weighing over 1kg sold to Hong Kong bidder for US$141,000 at international auction
- Once again a Hong Kong bidder has brought home the top truffle lot at the annual Worldwide Alba White Truffle Auction – and it’s not chef Umberto Bombana
- Bidders around the world vied for the 1.04kg white truffle, which came with a truffle-based holiday for four, Italian wines and a 5kg panettone
Once again a wealthy Hong Kong resident has outbid buyers from around the world to bring home a prized Alba white truffle, the star item in a lot that went for HK$1.1 million (US$140,845).
The lot, featuring a 1.04kg (2.3lb) specimen, calls to mind the last time a truffle of similar size was up for auction, in 2019, when a 1kg specimen sold for HK$1.03 million.
The 24th edition of the annual Alba White Truffle Auction was once again held at the Castle of Grinzane Cavore in Piedmont, Italy, with satellite auctions held in cities including Hong Kong, Singapore, Alba in Italy, Frankfurt and Vienna.
In Hong Kong, the auction was held in tandem with a charity gala dinner hosted by chef Romeo Morelli of Piedmontese restaurant Castellana, at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong where, before the bidding, guests enjoyed a six-course meal featuring copious shavings of white truffle.
For the first time in more than two decades, the auction dinner was not led by chef Umberto Bombana, widely known as the king of truffles, who has hosted the annual event at his restaurant 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana since 2011.
The Italian chef, however, was present for the gala dinner and even joked about enjoying the event from “the other side” for once.
“It’s lovely that the tradition goes on, and maybe I’ll be involved again next year,” said Bombana. “But I’m glad that other people support the cause. I think it’s wonderful.”
The prized 1.04kg tuber in the final grand lot was the subject of heated bidding between buyers in the five locations.
The opening bid for the entire lot – which also included a five-day, four-night Piedmontese white truffle trip for four, three- and five-litre bottles of fine Italian wines, and a massive 5kg panettone – was set at HK$100,000 and quickly rose as bids flew in from around the world.
In Hong Kong, four earlier lots featured white truffles weighing in at 188, 260, 308 and 348 grams respectively, each going for impressive sums to benefit local charity Mother’s Choice.
In total, the evening raised HK$3.6 million for the organisation, which helps children without families and pregnant teenagers in Hong Kong.
“We are incredibly grateful for the auction and attendees’ generous donations, which will empower many vulnerable women and children in Hong Kong,” says Mother’s Choice chief executive Alia Eyres.
Originally, the auction would have concluded with the grand lot; however, a final surprise lot was unveiled at the end of the evening, courtesy of Italian white truffle expert Matteo Morello. He presented a 655-gram specimen that had been hand-carried from Italy earlier in the week.
Morello also donated a double magnum and two bottles of Barolo from Conterno, one of the top wineries in Piedmont. Chef Morelli threw in a dinner for 10 at his fine- dining restaurant Castellana.
Robert Sleigh, managing director of Phillips auction house, took up the gavel once again to start the sale at HK$200,000. Bidding went back and forth between two gentlemen, with the winning bidder offering HK$380,000.
“The truffles this year are fantastic. We have good flavour, good amount, and they are not insanely expensive, like last year,” said Bombana.
The bumper yield of quality white truffles in 2023 is said to be down to warm weather and higher-than-average soil hydration – an improvement from 2021 and 2022, when prices for white truffles skyrocketed after heatwaves and drought affected yield.
In 2022, the top lot consisting of two Alba white truffles – one 700g, one 250g – sold to a Hong Kong buyer for more than HK$1.5 million.
