Chinese buyer pays no trifling sum for truffle

The 16th World White Truffle of Alba Auction in Grinzane Cavour, northern Italy, over the weekend was a head-to-head contest between Italy and China.

The auction hall, the Castle of Grinzane Cavour, is part of the Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont UNESCO World Heritage site. It was linked via satellite with Hong Kong, where a local businessman invested 100,000 euros ($107,000) to acquire the final lot of a truffle weighing 900 grams.

In the hall, Dong Zhenxiang, founder and owner of China's Da Dong Roast Duck chain, acquired another lot weighing 520 grams through a series of bids.