Meet Hedwig.

Hedwig is a very, very special dog. Trained since birth to be attracted to the smell of white truffles (yes, they actually spike the mother's milk with truffle!), Hedwig goes out into the forest and her insanely trained nose can find truffles buried deep within the ground.

Luca and his two daughters are truffle hunters. The above photo comes from a cool exhibit at the Truffle Festival by photographer Steve McCurry, who decided to photograph a series on the area's truffle hunters.

Luca's family has 7 truffle dogs. You need a license to be a truffle hunter, and you can only go out with at most 2 dogs at a time. The rules are strict. You can only harvest from October to February. However, Luca says the truffles in November and December are the best.

The Truffle Hunt in Montà

We arrive at Montà on Sunday morning for our truffle hunt. Luca and Hedwig meet us at the parking lot and guide us to the top of the hill.

Hedwig is excited, and a bit impatient, wanting to go find some truffles.

We walk past a memorial at the top of the hill, dedicated to the men who died fighting the war in 1942-1943 in the campaign against Russia.

As we continue walking, we can't help but be awed by the views.

And we are on our way!

The path on which we hike is peaceful and serene. Nobody else is here except for us. Hedwig is energetic and often shoots ahead of everyone else when she smells something.

But Luca is a good leader. He yells out commands, and Hedwig listens.

Luca is like the dog whisperer.

He kneels alongside Hedwig, speaking to her, calming her down, while also helping her dig. This balance is not easy, and we are quite impressed.

Whenever Hedwig finds a truffle, Luca gently guides her to give the truffle to him. In almost every case, the truffles are perfectly intact, which is amazing given how energetic and physical the whole process is!

Luca explained that truffles like to latch onto the small micro-root structures under the trees.

During the course of our 1+ hour hike, Hedwig found a total of six black truffles and five biancetta (mini-white, or pink truffles).

Biancetta have a garlicky flavor and are more reminiscent of white truffles (compared to black ones).

The Dog Whisperer.

Watch this video to get an even better feel of what it was like to be on the hike.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Che (@tinyurbankitchen)

Santuario dei Piloni (the Sanctuary of Pillars)

For the last part of the hike, we walked along the Santuario dei Piloni (the Sanctuary of Pillars). This path includes a church as well as a number of chapels along a path, each of which includes a scene (made with plaster) from the life of Jesus.

There are 13 chapels in all along the path showing the scenes in chronological order.

Here's Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. You can see the disciples sleeping in the background.

From the Top of the Hill

The final part of the hike leads to these amazing vistas of the surrounding area.

Coming from crowded Hong Kong, I find this expansive nature to be SO NOURISHING for the soul.

What an incredible way to end the hike!

Thank you Luca and Hedwig so much for the truffle hunt. Thank you Evan from Piemonte Mio for arranging this tour! We paid 35 Euros per person to go on this hunt, and we got to keep all the truffles!

Next up: how we brought these truffles to a restaurant and how they prepared it!

The post Truffle Hunting with a Truffle Dog in Montà Alba appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

Hello white truffle!

We were back. Finally back in Alba after ten (!) years.

Had it really been a decade since I last set foot in this magical place?

Last time I was in Piedmont, it was part of a bigger Around the World Extravaganza Birthday Trip, where we visited Alba (to line up with the truffle festival), Bordeaux (to meet up with wine loving friends), Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong!

I had no idea I would move to Hong Kong at that point in time . . . .

This time, we went with our close friends from the US. It was a whirlwind 6 days between Milan, Modena, and Alba (including surrounding wine regions!).

The Alba White Truffle Festival

The festival only opens for a couple months each year, during the fall white truffle season, and only on weekends.

We decided to go on a Sunday afternoon after having spent all Saturday visiting different wineries in the Barolo region.

The smell of the white truffles is intoxicating, and THIS is truly where you can see some incredible prize-worthy white truffles. I mean, how massive are these white truffles? They are seriously the size of a large potato. I can see why it's so hard for the truffle hunting pigs / dogs to avoid just eating this!

Many Vendors Selling White Truffles

The festival is a serious market, and there are many vendors selling truffles.

Smelling is free, and they will often be happy to let you sniff at various truffles.

Giacomo Morra launched the first Alba White Truffle Fair back in 1929. His company Tartufi Morra states that they were the first company "dedicated to the marketing and processing of the Alba White Truffle."

"Truffle Adjacent" Foods

Aside from white truffles, the fair includes lots of other truffle-infused foods (which can be great gifts to bring back!). Truffle chips, cheese, salt, oil, cured meats, sauces, and much much more.

We even tried a truffle gin, which was surprisingly tasty! Bryan even bought a couple bottles to keep and give away as a gift.

This video gives you a much better feel of what it's like to go to the festival.

Enjoy!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Che (@tinyurbankitchen)

The post Alba White Truffle Festival 2025 appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

This post is part of a series about our weeklong trip to northern Piedmont region (Milan, Modena, and Alba)

After a satisfying truffle lunch at La Cantina, our guide Evan drove us to our second and final winery stop of the day: a much smaller and intimate woman-owned winery: Anna Maria Abbona, located in the high-altitude hills of Farigliano, just next to Dogliani.

Story of a Female Winemaker

Anna Maria’s story is really interesting, and she was certainly a female winemaker ahead of her time. In this part of Italy, vineyard land historically passed down to the first male child. Because Anna Maria was an only child, many in the area just assumed the family's winemaking lineage would end with her father.

In her early twenties, Anna Maria wasn't particularly interested in the wine business, and worked as a graphic designer instead. However, in 1989, following a tough economic period for local grape growers, her father told her he had made the decision to sell the family vineyards and move to the city.

Anna Maria felt quite torn about this. She couldn't bear to watch her family's deep roots be sold away. She made the decision to quit her designer job, return to the farm with her husband Franco, and convince her father to let them take over instead.

Starting out as a young woman winemaker in the late 1980s wasn't easy. She faced quite a bit of skepticism from men in the industry who believed that women couldn't make good wine. But Anna Maria soldiered on, working hard to make quality wine despite the naysayers.

Through a lot of hard work, Anna Maria flourished. Today, the winery makes many different wines. Anna Maria is a well respected winemaker. She also continues to use her graphic design talents, designing ALL of her own wine labels.

Tasting So Many Wines

One thing we really appreciated about Anna Maria is her willingness to experiment. She isn't afraid to try many different things, and as a result, she's made a large selection of different types of wines. While her estate is historic for its old-vine Dolcetto (the region’s signature grape), she has expanded into a wide array of varietals.

She makes everything from indigenous whites like Nascetta and Riesling, to classic regional reds like Barbera and Nebbiolo, and even high-end Barolo and sparkling Alta Langa wines.

After hearing her story and getting a tour of the winery, we sat down in a gorgeous room overlooking a stunning vista of vineyards. We tasted a number of wines, and enjoyed them so much we bought a case to ship home (yes, they ship to Hong Kong!).

The price point of her wines is generally a bit lower than Ceretto. Bryan though her wines would make great "everyday" wines.

Spending the late afternoon sipping various wines was a wonderful way to conclude our dedicated day exploring the wine region.

Anna Maria Abona Winery

The post Anna Maria Abbona Winery appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

After wrapping up our beautiful morning tour and tasting at Ceretto, Evan drove us over to the nearby town of Verduno to a charming spot called La Cantina Wine Bar (officially known as La Cantina Vineria con Cucina).

Despite its humble name (La Cantina simply translates to "The Cellar"), this place has a rich history and a strong reputation. According to the local site Langhe.net, the eatery originally started out as a simple café in 1966 serving morning breakfasts with homemade cakes before expanding into a spot for evening aperitifs. In 2018, they officially reopened their full kitchen, transforming it into the vibrant, sought-after osteria it is today.

A Cozy Family Restaurant

When we arrived, we immediately felt at home. The service was warm, attentive, and friendly. We felt like we were eating at a family restaurant where everyone treats you like a guest in their own home.

In fact, the restaurant was even highlighted in the New York Times "36 Hours in Barolo" piece, which recommended La Cantina as a fantastic stop in Verduno for a special lunch.

The food here was seriously high quality and completely no fuss. It’s just honest, great home cooking made with insanely fresh, premium ingredients. Bryan and I both ordered the 3-course white Alba truffle tasting, which featured classic, traditional dishes that naturally go best with fresh white Alba truffles (and we absolutely loved it).

Our 3-Course Lunch

Dessert

Other Dishes

It was the perfect, comforting midday meal to fuel us for the rest of our journey. If you’re ever exploring the Barolo wine region, this place is a must-visit for incredible food, reasonable prices, cozy ambiance, and fantastic hospitality.

Next up: our second winery of the day!

La Cantina Wine Bar Italy

The post La Cantina Wine Bar (Vineria con Cucina) Italy appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

Has it really been 10 years (!!) since our last trip to Alba and the Barolo wine region (all part of the big Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Trip)? This time we went with our friends from the US, a delayed trip that was meant to happen in 2020, until the pandemic derailed all of our travel plans . . .

Just like 10 years ago, we decided to hire a tour guide (this time, Evan Byrne of Piemonte Mio) to help take us around Italy's (gorgeous) wine country.

Our plan for the day: visit two wineries plus enjoy an authentic Piemontese lunch in between. Having a tour guide (plus designated driver) meant we had a lot more freedom in enjoying wine at the tastings.

First Stop: Ceretto Winery

The family behind Ceretto is incredibly prominent in the region. Beyond being world class winemakers, they also own the renowned three Michelin starred restaurant Piazza Duomo and even have their own dedicated white truffle shop in the town center of Alba.

The winery itself is beautiful, with stunning views. There is a clear dome where you can see a 270-degree views of the rolling vineyards down below.

Our tour guide at the estate taught us about the history of the Ceretto family (who have been producing wine since the 1930's!), as well as their philosophy on winemaking.

Alessandro Ceretto, a third-generation winemaker, aims to express the terroir of the land as much as possible with minimal intervention.

After exploring the winery, we sat in a tasting room (with the same panoramic vineyard views) and tried seven different wines.

We tried some barbarescos, barolos, and even a white wine! The wines were delicious, and we ended up buying a case (which they shipped to Hong Kong for us!).

This wasn't our first encounter with Ceretto wine on this trip. Perhaps not surprisingly, we had tasted a Ceretto Cannubi San Lorenzo Barolo during our unforgettable meal at Piazza Duomo in Alba.

Getting to experience their wines both at their flagship restaurant and again right next to where the grapes are grown was a real treat.

It was a wonderful start to our full day dedicated to barolo!

Next up: lunch at La Cantina

Ceretto Winery
Ceretto Aziende Vitivinicole S.r.l.
Strada Provinciale Alba/Barolo
Località San Cassiano, 34
12051 Alba (CN) 

The post Ceretto Winery Barolo Italy appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.