Alba white truffle auction raises 545,800 euros as Hong Kong buyer wins top lot

The auction and its top lot

The 27th World White Truffle Auction of Alba took place at the Grinzane Cavour castle in the province of Cuneo on Sunday, 8 November. Each of the four truffles offered was sold with two bottles of prestigious Piedmont wine, and bids were also taken from venues in Brasilia, London, Macau and Vilnius, which joined regular sites such as Hong Kong, Bangkok and Vienna. AFP reports that a 1.009 kg truffle went to a Hong Kong buyer for 110,000 euros, the same price paid for the top lot in 2025. AGI and La Stampa instead put the Hong Kong purchase at 100,000 euros for an 850-gram truffle, which La Stampa describes as two twin truffles. The sources do not agree on the top price, so both figures are given with their attribution.

A lot sold twice

AGI reports that a 300-gram truffle was first sold for 12,000 euros, but the buyer chose not to complete the purchase, so the lot went again for 14,000 euros to a local entrepreneur. La Stampa names the first buyer as Lino Stoppani, president of the Federazione italiana pubblici esercizi, who put the lot back up for auction, and gives Guido Borghi as the bidder at 14,000 euros. AFP describes a different second lot, a 402-gram truffle sold for 16,000 euros to a man present at the event who presented himself as 'a Chinese teacher'. According to AGI, two smaller lots of 210 and 250 grams went for 8,000 euros to a local entrepreneur and 10,000 euros to a starred chef from Shanghai.

Initial sale12,000

Re-auction14,000

Initial sale

12000 euros

Re-auction

14000 euros

Data from the article text

Money raised and the cause

La Stampa reports that the edition raised 545,800 euros for charitable projects, the second-best result in the event's history. The Barolo en primeur collection, with its last barrique sold for 57,000 euros on the same day, stands at 1,197,500 euros according to the same paper. AGI and AFP give 502,000 euros as the 2025 total, and the cumulative amount since 1999 is about 7.2 million euros per AGI but more than 8.2 million per La Stampa. La Stampa says the proceeds will support children affected by war through Every Child Is My Child, cancer research at Candiolo and a hospital in North Kinangop, Kenya. AGI lists past beneficiaries as a hospital in Africa, the social reintegration of young people with drug addiction and schooling for children in the favelas.

2025502,000

2026545,800

2025

502000 euros

2026

545800 euros

Data from the article text

Piedmont's regional president, Alberto Cirio, presented the auction as a showcase for the region's products and culture.

“Piedmont has an extraordinary ability to take its excellence around the world without losing its bond with the land and the communities that look after it.”

A poor season and high prices

La Stampa links the auction to a season of scarce harvests and high prices for the prized fungus. After a hot, dry summer, 2026 began with few specimens, often small. Antonio Degiacomi, president of the Centro nazionale studi tartufo, attributes the reduced output in October and the less durable truffles to scarce summer rain and high temperatures. At Alba's market in early October, specimens sold for 400 to over 500 euros per etto, and over the All Saints weekend they rarely fell below 600 euros, even for modest sizes, while the best ones topped 900 euros. La Stampa notes that no fixed price can be given, since it varies.