Hong Kong Triumphs at the XXVI Asta Mondiale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba

In Grinzane Cavour, the charity auction breaks a new record with more than 500,000 euros raised and a final lot reaching one million Hong Kong dollars

The twenty sixth Asta Mondiale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba has once again confirmed its status as a major international charity event. From the Castello di Grinzane Cavour, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour, the 2024 edition connected four continents and raised a total of 502,000 euros to support solidarity projects in Italy and across the world.

As in previous years, Hong Kong established itself as the leading stage of the auction. The final lot, a rare triple white truffle weighing 1,009 grams and unearthed in the Roero area, was sold for 110,000 euros, equivalent to one million Hong Kong dollars. In Grinzane Cavour, three additional specimens of Tuber magnatum Picco were awarded to entrepreneur Alessia Bertolotto, industrialist Mariano Costamagna and Chinese visitor Roy Yu. The last barrique of Barolo en Primeur was also sold to Hong Kong for 22,000 euros, bringing the combined total of the event and Barolo en Primeur to 1,130,300 euros.

Since 1999, the auction has now exceeded 7.7 million euros in cumulative fundraising. This year, the Italian contributions will support organisations including Every Child Is My Child Onlus, the Associazione Emiliano Mondonico and the North Kinangop Hospital in Kenya, which was connected live to the event. Each international venue directed its funds to local causes, ranging from Mother’s Choice in Hong Kong to the SPCA in Singapore, Acker Österreich in Vienna, the Youth Cup for young paralympic sport in Frankfurt, the Border Patrol Police School Foundation in Bangkok and the Solar Meninos de Luz association supporting children in the favelas of Rio.

The event was hosted by Caterina Balivo, joined by Enzo Iacchetti and gastronomic curator Paolo Vizzari. Actors, athletes, institutional representatives and Michelin starred chefs contributed to an edition marked by a wide network of live connections, from Hong Kong at the restaurant 8 e mezzo Bombana to an unprecedented truffle breakfast in Rio.

All participants praised an event that combines the promotion of Piedmont’s terroir with a strong charitable commitment, with the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba standing as an ambassador of a unique gastronomic heritage and an increasingly global solidarity effort.