Latest Truffle News 5th October 2009

We are now pleased to report that we are seeing a good and steady supply of high quality black autumn truffles. These are now available to our clients at just over £300 per kilo.

Unfortunately the quality of the white truffles is not yet satisfactory, and we consider that it is still too early in the season to be hunting these. Past experience and current climatic conditions indicate that the White Truffles will not be at their peak until around early November. Further updates to follow.

Truffle Hunting Days

If you ever get the chance to visit Le Marche during the Autumn or Winter season, we would recommend you make an effort to attend one of Moreno's Truffle Hunting Experience days.

These excursions can be tailored to your group's requirements. The basic truffle hunting day costs € 90 and includes a truffle hunt, a cookery demonstration to learn how truffles are best used, followed by a very long and wonderful lunch.

Moreno can also organise truffle hunting and cookery weekends.

The truffle hunting is carried out in a very scenic location and Paulo Ciccioli, the truffle hunter, is a very fine chef.

For more information check out Moreno's website and contact him directly;

http://www.lemarcheholiday.net/contacts.html

Italian Truffle Bonanza!

Rain, rain, rain ! During May June and July 2009 central Italy has been inundated with wet weather. This has been the wettest summer anyone alive can remember. Afternoon thunderstorms, accompanied by heavy rain have been the daily norm.


This has been a difficult summer for anyone working in the tourist industry. The bad weather, combined with the dreadful state of the world economy, has resulted in greatly reduced visitor numbers. The farmers are also having a difficult time, battling against the rain to get their crops in.


Now for the good news. Trifolau are already forecasting an absolutely bumper autumn for truffles, with prices expected to be well below those seen for years.


The wet weather in May June and July will greatly improve both the quantity and quality of the truffle harvest for October, November and December, meaning that there has never been a better time than Autumn and Winter 2009 to sample the world’s finest fresh truffles!

The Best Breakfast in the World?

Well maybe not, but the breakfast we had at Hotel Losset in a Burgundy village called Flagey-Echezeax was certainly the best breakfast I've ever had.

This small family run hotel is in a village in Burgundy, where we stopped off recently while driving from England to our house in Italy.

The breakfast started with the usual offerings of tea, coffee and fresh orange juice. Then followed a beautiful selection of home made fruit compotes, mango and apple, strawberry and mint, kiwi and pineapple, orange and banana, and finally blackcurrant and pear, all beautifully presented in a varied range of small glasses.

Then a basket of home baked fresh bread, croissants, and pastries, accompanied by three very large pots of home made preserves; strawberry jam, apricot jam, and a home made marmalade.

Followed by homesmoked salmon, and a plate of 4 local cheeses, including a wonderful cheese called Époisses de Bourgogne, an unpasteurised stinky cow’s cheese made in the local Epoisses village.

This was all home cooked food, lovingly prepared and beautifully presented.

And the price ? 8 Euros for each adult. What a bargain ?

The hotels website is; http://www.hotel-losset-bourgogne.com/en-default.htm

Does anyone else out there have any other great breakfast experiences ?

CHATEAU MUSAR VERTICAL

On Friday the 24th April, I was very lucky to attend a Chateau Musar Vertical Tasting held at Lower Mill Estate, Gloucestershire. The tasting was a Musar white, followed by 6 vintages of Musar Red going back to 1989.

The event was organised by the various Ashton Keynes wine groups, and the tasting was tutored by Richard Brazier, Ancient and Modern Wines, and raised £850 being the first in a number of events planned this year for the Ashton Keynes 2009 Hope for Children fundraising.

The following are my tasting notes;

Musar White 2001; Rich Gold colour, bouquet of apricots, apples, honey, soft oak. On the palate, complex flavours of apricot, honey, floral notes, full bodied, dry long lingering flavours. 90 pts.

Musar Red 1997; Medium garnet colour pale rim, light bouquet of warm spice, aromatic wood, soft red cherry. On the palate, big acid, lots of full on red fruit, mainly red cherry, strawberry, tobacco, quite tannic and should improve 5-10 years +. 92 pts.

Musar Red 1996; Very pale, almost rose colour, watery edge transparent. Soft bouquet, red fruit, raspberry, farmyard. Palate, soft red fruit, cherry flavours, burnt musar flavour, very raisiny, well balanced but short flavour lacking intensity. Very Good. 89 pts.

Musar Red 1995; Medium garnet, pale rim. Bouquet slightly oxidised flavours, treacle, licquorice. Porty, raisiny, hint of oxidisation, tasted slightly burnt, big alcohol and very rich. Disappointing. 84 pts.

Musar Red 1993; Medium to dark garnet, watery pale rim. Bouquet red fruit, farmyard, spice, leather, tobacco, vanilla. Palate; big acid, full on red fruit, cherrys, strawberries, lots of dried fruits, figs, plum, soft after taste of leather, spice, oak, tobacco. Lots of complex flavours,. Well balanced, long lingering intense flavours. Should keep well for 5-10 years more. This was the highlight of the evening for me. Excellent. 94pts.

Musar Red 1991; Pale crimson, almost rose colour, very light transparent. Soft bouquet, red fruit, raisins, dried fruits, spice, leather tobacco. Palate; sweet red fruit, big aromatic wood and spice, soft and gentle complex lingering flavours. Well balanced classy wine. Should keep well for 5-10 years more. Excellent. 93pts.

Musar Red 1989; Pale rose salmon colour, slight cloudiness. Bouquet rich red fruit, jammy, raisins, leather. Palate; soft red fruit, well integrated, soft wood leather, hint of spice but fruit dominated. Lacked complexity of the 91 and 93. Time to drink up? Good; 88 pts.

White Truffle Oil Blind Tasting

White Truffle Oil Blind Tasting

This weekend we continued our season of truffle oil tastings with our friends in North Wales, Paul, Eirian, Ffion and Ciara.

There were six people and four oils, 3 truffle oils, and 1 extra virgin olive oil to act as a ‘control’. The extra virgin olive oil was Cicolelle from Puglia in Italy, which was also used in our previous Truffle Oil tasting The truffle oils were;

1. -Gradassi White Truffle Dressing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, listed ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Flavours

2. -Tesco Truffle Flavoured Oil, listed ingredients: Olive Oil, Natural Flavourings

3. -Le Macchie Tartufo Bianco, listed ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Flavourings

All tastings were done blind the results are summarised below;

1. Each oil was tasted straight, ie without any accompanying food. Here tasters were asked to identify and evaluate the aroma and taste of the truffle oils in relation to each other and to rank them in order of preference

• The extra virgin olive oil was easily identified, with its darker colour, generous aroma, fruity flavours and robust, spicy pepper finish.
• The Gradassi demonstrated unpleasant pungent paraffin and chemical type aromas and flavours.
• The Tesco Oil demonstrated a strange non truffle like aroma, which some tasters identified as cheese and fish! In flavour it had a very light truffle flavour that was not unpleasant.
• The Le Macchie demonstrated a gentle truffle like aroma, with a soft afterfinish, gentle truffle and garlic flavours, and was most liked of the oils tasted in this way.

Ranking in order of preference: Le Macchie, Tesco, Gradassi


2. Each oil was tasted with a small portion of simple risotto. The risotto was prepared with a small amount of onion, parmesan and butter and then dressed with the oil just prior to serving. In this case the tasters were evaluating the way in which the truffle oil complemented the overall dish and were asked to again rank them in order of preference.

• The Gradassi provoked a strong response from the tasters, with several remarking that they found the dish inedible.
• The Le Macchie demonstrated a gentle truffle aroma, but when eaten, some tasters identified a slight chemical perfume flavour which it was felt had the potential to be overpowering.
• The Tesco oil was initially mistaken by some tasters as the olive oil, having a very very faint truffle aroma, with no truffle flavour. It was well liked, but the lack of truffle flavour meant it was rated slightly lower than the Le Macchie.

Ranking in order of preference: Le Macchie, Tesco, Gradassi

3. Each oil was tasted with a small portion of fresh pasta. This was simply prepared tagliatelle tossed with butter and parmigiano and then again tossed in each of the truffle oils. Again the tasters were evaluating the way in which the truffle oil complemented the overall dish and ranking the dishes in order of preference.

• The extra virgin olive oil was easily identified and very well liked by all tasters.
• The Gradassi was easily identified by its aroma. Some of the tasters then declined to taste the dish on the basis that this was sufficiently unappetising to put them off.
• The Le Macchie had a gentle truffle aroma, but demonstrated a slightly unpleasant taste which again some tasters noted as reminiscent of synthetic perfume flavours.
• The Tesco showed a gentle hint of truffle aroma, with a very light truffle like flavour which was not unpleasant.

Ranking in order of preference: Tesco/Le Macchie, Gradassi

To summarise;

The straight oil tasting clearly demonstrated the Le Macchie as the better oil.

The food tasting opinions were split between the tasters who preferred the very lightly flavoured, but pleasant Tesco Oil, and tasters that preferred the stronger, potentially overpowering truffle flavour of the Le Macchie, with some tasters indicating that the Le Macchie was better because it had more truffle flavour, but other tasters suggesting that its truffle flavour was too perfumed and had the potential to overpower any accompanying food.

The tasters were unanimous in their views on The Gradassi which was very disappointing with all tasters remarking on its strong ‘paraffin’ and ‘chemical’ aroma and taste. All felt that its effect on food was undesirable in the extreme and that it was not a product they would buy.


Thanks go to Omi, Eirian, Paul, Ffion and Ciara for their valued input to this tasting.

Black Truffle Oil Tasting

What a way to spend an Easter Monday afternoon! This week we celebrated Easter with a blind truffle oil tasting and what an interesting experience that turned out to be.

There were five people and four oils, 3 black truffle oils, and 1 extra virgin olive oil to act as a ‘control’. The extra virgin olive oil was Cicolelle from Puglia in Italy, made entirely from the local variety Peranzana. The truffle oils were;

1. -Gradassi Black Truffle Dressing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, listed ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Flavours

2. -Urbani Gocce di Tartufo Nero, listed ingredients: Olive Oil, Extra Black Truffles, Flavourings

3. -Le Macchie Tartufi, listed ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Flavourings

All tastings were done blind and generally there was a remarkable consensus of opinion on the results, summarised below;

1. Each oil was tasted straight, ie without any accompanying food. Here tasters were asked to identify and evaluate the aroma and taste of the truffle oils in relation to each other and to rank them in order of preference

• The extra virgin olive oil was easily identified, with its darker colour, generous aroma, fruity flavours and robust, spicy pepper finish.
• The Gradassi demonstrated very strong and unpleasant paraffin and petrol - like aromas and flavours. It was a spectacularly unsubtle product that could in no way be confused with real truffle by anyone who had tasted one. This seems remarkable for an oil that claims to be made with purely “Natural Flavours” and provoked much comment and surprise among the tasters.
• The Le Macchie (an organically certified oil made using a natural process) was surprisingly lacking in truffle aroma to the point that many of the tasters mistook it for the pure olive oil on first taste. Its flavour was likewise very subtle but possessed of far more richness and complexity than the Gradassi. Generally it was summarised as pleasant and enjoyable but perhaps not particularly striking.
• The Urbani, despite being an unashamedly chemically based product, was deemed to be highly acceptable in terms of both taste and aroma, though some tasters did remark on a ‘cloying’ quality that they thought could become overpowering if used in any quantity.

Ranking in order of preference: Urbani, Le Macchie, Gradassi

2. Each oil was tasted with a small portion of simple risotto. The risotto was prepared with a small amount of onion, parmesan and butter and then dressed with the oil just prior to serving. In this case the tasters were evaluating the way in which the truffle oil complemented the overall dish and were asked to again rank them in order of preference.

• The extra virgin olive oil was again easily identified.
• The Gradassi provoked a strong response from the tasters, with several remarking that they found the dish almost inedible. It was easily identified by its smell alone and the strong paraffin flavours were felt to be undesirable in the extreme.
• The Le Macchie went very well with the risotto, its gentle flavour and aroma complementing the richness of the dish. However some tasters again commented that you ‘didn’t get much truffle for your money’ and that there was not a very strong ‘truffle hit’ to be derived from this product.
• The Urbani demonstrated both a pleasant flavour and aroma and was well liked by the tasters. All felt that there was a sufficient amount of ‘truffle hit’ though again a certain ‘cloyingness’ was remarked on and several tasters commented that they didn’t feel they could eat much of the dish.

Ranking in order of preference: Urbani, Le Macchie, Gradassi

3. Each oil was tasted with a small portion of fresh pasta. This was simply prepared tagliatelle tossed with butter and parmigiano and then again tossed in each of the truffle oils. Again the tasters were evaluating the way in which the truffle oil complemented the overall dish and ranking the dishes in order of preference.

• Ironically, the tasters were unanimously agreed that the most enjoyable experience here was the pasta with the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. All tasters agreed that the truffle oils ‘sat on the pasta’ like a dressing rather than combining with the dish to give an integrated flavour. They also felt that this ‘dressing – like’ quality resulted in a rather greasy, unappealing dish and questioned the use of truffle oils drizzled on pasta.
• The Gradassi was easily identified by its aroma. Some of the tasters then declined to taste the dish on the basis that this was sufficiently unappetising to put them off.
• The Le Macchie was deemed to be a little overpowering, although not unacceptably so. Again its flavour was described as ‘pleasant’ or ‘subtle’ but failed to elicit more enthusiastic responses.
• The Urbani was likewise thought to be rather too powerful for the dish, but not to an extent that anyone deemed unacceptable. There was some debate as to which out of it and the Le Macchie was preferable without a conclusive result being reached.

Ranking in order of preference: Le Macchie/Urbani, Gradassi

To summarise;

All tasters commented on how surprised they were at the amount of variation to be found in commercial truffle oils. The misconception had been that they would all be much of a muchness.

The Gradassi was very disappointing with all tasters remarking on its strong ‘paraffin’ and ‘petrol’ aroma and taste. All felt that its effect on food was undesirable in the extreme and that it was not a product they would buy.

The Urbani oil was quite pleasant and stood up well in all tastings. All tasters found the level of truffle aroma and flavour pleasant and enjoyable, though a few had reservations about a certain ‘cloying’ quality that was detected particularly when it was tasted alone.

For me, the disappointment was the Le Macchie, the only truffle oil that we tasted which was actually a naturally made product. The consensus was that it did not show itself to be clearly better than the Urbani. One comment was made suggesting that maybe Le Macchie would be better if a blander/less aromatic base oil (ie olive oil rather than extra virgin olive oil) was used in the production as this may allow the truffle aroma and flavour to come more fully to the fore.

Thanks go to Omi, Alison, Raymond and Simone for their valued input to this tasting.