NEW RECORD ALSO FOR THE OVERALL COLLECTION, WITH OVER 600,000 EUROS DONATED IN THE CHARITY EVENT PROMOTED BY THE PIEDMONT REGIONAL ENOTECA CAVOUR

Opened by the notes of the string quartet Alter Echo, in collaboration with Alba Music Festival, the XXIII edition of the World Alba® White Truffle Auction took place from the Grinzane Cavour Castle on the afternoon of Sunday 13 November. the great charity event organized by the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour.
Competing for the most prized lots of the Alba White Truffle – put up for auction in combination with the large formats of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG and the wines of the producers belonging to the Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Dogliani Protection Consortium, as well as the maxi Panettones “made in Piedmont” signed by the historic anniversary leavened products company Albertengo -, philanthropists in connection with the manor that belonged to Count Camillo from Hong Kong and Singapore, now consolidated partners of the Auction, to which this year the three have been added new, prestigious locations in Vienna, Seoul and Doha.
Thus, this year, the great appointment with solidarity – organized by the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour, thanks to the precious support of the Piedmont Region, of Enit – the Italian National Tourism Agency, of the Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourism Board, of the International Fair of the White Truffle of Alba, the National Center for Truffle Studies and the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba – reached the record sum of 604,600 euros raised, which will be allocated to charitable initiatives all over the world.

THE FIGURES AND THE RECORD
Protagonist of the day, the final lot composed of a 700 gram trifola to which was added a second 250 gram specimen dug out in the morning – presented by the president of the Union of Piedmont Trifulau Associations, Mario Aprile -, flown to Hong Kong for the price record of 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars, corresponding to 184,000 euros: a generous local entrepreneur won it, in connection at the 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana restaurant. In the room in Grinzane the gavel fell for another three splendid specimens of Alba White Truffle, weighing 150, 255 and 330 grams respectively, which went to the Cherasco entrepreneur Mariano Costamagna, to an anonymous London benefactor connected to a correspondent in the room, and to the Varese entrepreneur Guido Borghi.
Furthermore, within the framework of the initiative proposed by the CRC Donare Foundation, represented by the president of the CRC Foundation Ezio Raviola, the assignment of the last lot of the “Barolo en Primeur” auction, the Nebbiolo barrique number fifteen, from which in 2025 will produce around 300 bottles of the prized Barolo DOCG, sold in the showroom in Hong Kong for the sum of 64,000 euros.

SOLIDARITY
From 1999 to today, the total collection has thus exceeded the ceiling of six million euros (6,343,900, to be precise), destined for solidarity projects in Italy and around the world. In Italy, the beneficiaries of the generosity of philanthropists this year will be the Alba-Bra Onlus Hospital Foundation, the Vialli and Mauro Foundation for Research and Sport Onlus and the Every Child Is My Child Onlus project. Looking abroad, in Hong Kong the proceeds will instead benefit the Mother’s Choice Institute, while Singapore has chosen the Dreams Asia foundation; on the charity front, the project chosen in Vienna is LehreUp, an initiative promoted by the Sinnbildungsstiftung, while Seoul will support the NGO World Vision.

CHARACTERS
Conducting the Auction in the hall in Grinzane Cavour, renewing a successful tradition, were the television presenter Caterina Balivo and the journalist and gastronomic curator Paolo Vizzari, flanked by the comedian and television presenter Enzo Iacchetti.
Present in the room, in addition to the president of the Piedmontese Regional Enoteca Cavour Roberto Bodrito, the vice-president of the Piedmont Region Fabio Carosso, the mayor of the City of Alba Carlo Bo, and the president of the Consortium for the Protection of Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba, Langhe and Dogliani Matteo Ascheri, guests of great prestige, starting with Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice International Film Festival organized by the Venice Biennale, named Knight of the Truffle and Wines of Alba.
Then the talented actor and director Andrea Bosca, who – after his participation in the Netflix film Toscana, shot in Chianti, and his role as the established archistar in the Màkari series – was the protagonist of Romanzo Radicale, the Rai docufiction on the politician and activist Marco Pannella, shot by Mimmo Calopresti, just released on Rai3.
Furthermore, the miller Fulvio Marino, who has become the “baker of Italian TV”, every day alongside Antonella Clerici on the screens of Rai Uno with the program “È semper midday”, author of various publications in the bread, pizza and leavened products sector.
Together with many other guests, also important people linked to the world of sport and solidarity like Massimo Mauro, together with Gianluca Vialli recently in the capital of the Langhe to launch Alba dei Campioni, the international football tournament organized by the Vialli and Mauro Foundation for Research and Sport Onlus.

PLACES CONNECTED
In Hong Kong, Asta was able to count on its consolidated friendship with the Three Michelin Star Chef Umberto Bombana, who – in the presence of the Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong, Carmelo Ficarra – hosted 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in his famous restaurant , a passionate and participatory audience, in collaboration with Maria Pranzo and her Areté Food and Wine.
In Singapore the Auction took place in the National Gallery at the Art Restaurant led by the starred Chef Daniele Sperindio, in connection with the mayor of the Municipality of Grinzane Cavour, Gianfranco Garau, and the president of the Piedmont Region, Alberto Cirio, in the presence of the ‘Italian Ambassador to Singapore Mario Andrea Vattani.
From Austria, for the first time, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Vienna, Stefano Beltrame, connecting from the Le Salzgries Paris restaurant of chef Denis Koenig, who hosted in his kitchen the next Chef of Grinzane Castle, Alessandro Mecca, was the Tourism Councilor of the City of Alba, Emanuele Bolla, together with the Grand Master of the Viennese delegation of the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba, Sergio Nodone and the general director of ENIT Vienna, Andrea Colonnelli .
Historic debut also for South Korea, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Seoul, Federico Failla, thanks to the love for Italy of Chef “Marco” Seungchan Lee, at the helm of the Italian restaurant Atrio at the Conrad Hotel , with the Knight of the Truffle and Wines of Alba, Paolo Alberto Volpe.
Third novelty of this edition, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Doha, Paolo Toschi, accompanied by the Restaurant General Manager Vincenzo Donatiello and the Specialty Head Chef Antonino D’Alessio, the connection with the Alba restaurant by Enrico Crippa, an upcoming venue opening in Doha, Qatar, inside the iconic Katara Towers, where the three-starred Chef Enrico Crippa – fresh from the Michelin Green Star, in the dining room in Grinzane together with Roberta Ceretto – will bring his vision of original, elegant and colorful cuisine from Alba , strongly respectful of local traditions, to represent all the flavors of Italy.

THE AMBASSADOR OF THE WHITE TRUFFLE OF ALBA
Awarded with a special diploma by the president of the Piedmontese Regional Enoteca Cavour Roberto Bodrito, by the president of the International Alba White Truffle Fair Liliana Allena, by the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba Tomaso Zanoletti, by the president of the ATL Langhe Monferrato Roero, Mariano Rabino, and by the councilor of the Municipality of Grinzane Cavour, Elena Grimaldi, Gabriele Boffa, Chef of the Locanda del Sant’Uffizio in Cioccaro di Penango, has joined the ranks of the ambassadors of the Alba White Truffle, standard bearer in the world of excellent Italian cuisine, fresh from the Second Michelin Star.
“Gabriele Boffa is a young chef from Alba who has built his career as workshop artists did in the Renaissance, drawing on the genius of the masters. A student of, among others, Yannick Alléno and Enrico Crippa, he created his own “stellar” path – awarded by the Michelin Guide the first time in 2018 and the second time a few days ago – making the Locanda del Sant’Uffizio Enrico Bartolini in Penango a place sacred of the culinary art. A predestined whose cuisine is based on biodiversity and whose palette enhances the flavors and colors of the unique products of our land, among which the Alba White Truffle naturally shines”, read the motivation with which the recognition was awarded.

THE STATEMENTS
Roberto Bodrito, president of the Cavour Piedmont Regional Enoteca: “The World Alba White Truffle Auction confirms itself as an exceptionally long-lived and interesting event, crucial for the promotion of the territory. Through the prestigious international connections, testimonies of the excellence that distinguishes the uniqueness of Alba, the Langhe and the Roero are proposed and important solidarity actions are encouraged. Today we celebrate a new, great charity event that will cross borders, in times when – elsewhere – borders are being violated. Never like in this edition, together with the mayors of the City of Alba, Carlo Bo, and of the Municipality of Grinzane Cavour, Gianfranco Garau, we want to send a message of peace and brotherhood and the means to do so are once again our food and wine excellences led by our wonderful White Truffles of Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco”.

Matteo Ascheri, president of the Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Dogliani Protection Consortium: “Barolo, Barbaresco and Truffle are the perfect trinomial that represents our territory in the world: three excellences that have deep roots in the Langhe and which act as a driving force for our entire tourism and wine tourism system. It is for this reason that we continue to support this initiative and that our producers offer their prestigious bottles in combination with the Alba White Truffle lots. The valorisation and promotion of our territory also passes through these initiatives which have an international scope: the Truffle Auction and the ‘Barolo en primeur’ auction, in which the values of solidarity are combined with territorial promotion thanks also to the contribution given with the municipal lots donated by our producers”.

Fabio Carosso, vice-president of the Piedmont Region: “The Truffle Auction represents one of the most awaited moments of autumn in Piedmont. Always an opportunity to consolidate international ties with those who are in love with our land and our UNESCO hills. The Truffle is a splendid ambassador of our Piedmont and one of the most important of Made in Italy, which is why it deserves special attention, reserved for it with connections from all over the world. We have many people who, thanks to their contribution of solidarity, will be able to help those who really need it, enjoying the inebriating scents of the Truffle”.