High Clandon truffle hounds unearth prized black Périgord truffles at Surrey Hills vineyard
The trained vineyard dogs at High Clandon have again hit the jackpot and snuffled out much-prized black Perigord truffles from the Surrey Hills estate’s secretly located truffle orchard.
Said to be the first Perigord truffle find in the south of England and probably the second such in England, the other being at the late Duke of Edinburgh’s estate at Sandringham in 2018, it follows the unearthing of England’s biggest Burgundian truffle, weighing in at 606g, at High Clandon in 2019.
Nearly a kilogram of these prized Perigords, also known as “black winter truffles”, were unearthed on this occasion and High Clandon Estate Vineyard owners, Sibylla and Bruce Tindale, have high hopes for more.
“We planted the truffle orchard – our truffière – 20 years ago with oak and hazel saplings ‘inoculated’ with the spores of the autumn Burgundian truffle, so it’s incredibly exciting to discover Perigords growing here too,” explains Sibylla.
“Our vineyard dogs, Persephone and Juno, were initially trained on a course run by James Feaver of The English Truffle Company, and they eagerly go snuffling. They seemed particularly animated by what they had found this time, and I had to be fast as a flash to stop them gobbling up the delectable underground fungi.”
Since their discovery, the truffles have been DNA tested and affirmed as the sought-after Perigords, known botanically as Tuber melanosporum.
The delectable Perigords typically fruit from November through to March and normally only grow in the hotter climes of the Mediterranean, such as the Perigord, France and northern Spain. The scent profile is seductive with an enticing, rich, nutty, earthy and chocolatey fragrance.
Today, the Tindale family run sought after Truffle and Cuvée Experience Days at High Clandon Estate Vineyard with James Feaver during the autumn and winter months.
An English harvest of a very different kind, but truffles perfectly complement High Clandon’s award-winning English sparkling wine production.
The vineyard produces single vintage cuvées, which are aged for at least five years before release. Their latest vintage, the 2019 Shakespearean Cuvée, was launched this summer.
For more information about High Clandon’s magical Talk, Tour and Tasting and their Truffle and Cuvée Experience Days, visit their website.
