Ricerca di tartufi con pranzo

Before heading for a tour of the wine cellars we accompanied Paolo and his dogs Peggy and Pippo out into the forest to hunt for truffles. It was good exercise going up and down the hills, and good for the spirit to be out there in nature gathering food with the help of another species. By the time we got back to the farm I was high on the experience and quite determined to convince my friends that they too must come to the farm and do the same thing. A life lived without a single truffle hunt is barely a life lived at all! Later, at the farm ‘Mulino A Vento’ restaurant, chef Mirko Margheri cooked us a vegan feast. We ate at a table overlooking some of the farm’s vineyards. There was cacao coloured pasta with a hint of truffle, savoy cabbage wrapped in broccoli leaf sat in a masala and turmeric chickpea cream, a colourful starter made from pureed veg, and a sorbet for dessert. We drank ‘Puro’, which is 100% sangiovese, and ‘Pachar’, a blend of Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc and Viognier grapes (which are all grown on the top of the hill to the east of the restaurant). It was excellent wine, and all the better because it was made with grapes from the fields within sight of my table.

Loved this tour. What we didn't realise though was that once we got to the town noted in the tour info, we then had to arrange transport from the station to the farm and back to stationwe had no car. this cost us extra 50euro. So overall tour quite expensive. The truffle hunters dog did not disappoint as we wandered around a small area of the property. A tour of the property and winery was also vg. Our lunch which included truffle shavings on freshest pasta and a yummy chicken dish, followed by best tiramisu together with wine from the property's own vineyard was fabulous. Would have liked another hour or so at property as we rushed to finish lunch, because our pickup had been organised by property for 2pm.

Loved this tour. What we didn't realise though was that once we got to the town noted in the tour info, we then had to arrange transport from the station to the farm and back to stationwe had no car. this cost us extra 50euro. So overall tour quite expensive. The truffle hunters dog did not disappoint as we wandered around a small area of the property. A tour of the property and winery was also vg. Our lunch which included truffle shavings on freshest pasta and a yummy chicken dish, followed by best tiramisu together with wine from the property's own vineyard was fabulous. Would have liked another hour or so at property as we rushed to finish lunch, because our pickup had been organised by property for 2pm.

My 15 years old son and I had a lot of fun! We learnt how you find truffles, enjoyed the lovely family that hosted us and a great meal!

My 15 years old son and I had a lot of fun! We learnt how you find truffles, enjoyed the lovely family that hosted us and a great meal!