This coveted fungi certainly has an air of mystery about it and if you're a foodie then the Canberra Truffle Festival just might be for you.
Now in its ninth year, The Truffle Festival – Canberra Region is the first and largest festival of its kind in Australia. Each year from June to August more than 250 events are held across the Canberra region, highlighting the French Black Winter Truffle. Events range from truffle hunts, degustation dinners, cooking classes and more.
Explore the Canberra region's foodie trail and discover the capital's epicurean secrets.
Start your truffle adventure with a Truffle Hunt & Cook Adventure at Turalla Truffles. A little over 30 minutes from the city, join Damian Robinson, his family and adorable Jack Russell dogs for a Truffle hunt followed by cooking the spoils and enjoying a long lunch.
It's a fun and fascinating experience; leisurely learning about the Truffle process from the humble beginnings of inoculated trees, to training the pups to forage for truffles to tasting the delicious delicacy in a variety of ways.
Rug up against the winter chill and follow Turalla's trio of truffle dogs Eight Gecko and Frisbee through the truffière as they sniff out whether the truffle is ready to harvest. On our visit, we joined 3-month-old Gecko on his first Truffle hunt and witnessed the cute pup find his first truffle. Cuteness overload!
Returning to the warmth of the farmhouse for the most incredible Truffle Brie and some of Damian's fiery Truffle infused vodka! My favourite of the courses was the Truffle mushroom dumplings with Truffle cream and shaved Truffle.
Now that you're educated about all things Truffle, enjoy a winter wine tasting experience at Mount Majura Vineyard. Taste a flight of three wines matched with Truffled Brie. The Flinders Estate Brie is decadently creamy and layered with fresh truffles accompanied by apple and thyme paste, organic honey and walnuts. Our flight included the 2015 The Silurian Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay, followed by the 2016 Chardonnay and finishing with the incredible museum release of the 1999 Pinot Noir.
Continue your wine journey with wine tasting at Collector Wines. This cellar door experience can be found in the cute town of Collector, where winemaker Alex McKay presents wine of style and distinction. Don't miss Some Café next door for a coffee pit stop, with the best brew by a country mile serving perfect Allpress Espresso and a tempting counter of delectable bites. Better still; book in to Some Truffle Dinner a festival highlight with a 6-course degustation featuring Turalla Truffles and Collector Wines.
When wine is not enough, try Truffle infused beer! Bentspoke Brewing Co.'s master brewer Richard Watkins has created a specialty truffled beer called Silverback created by packing the onsite "Hopinator" infuser with truffles and botanticals including cumquats, cinnamon, juniper berries, cloves and vanilla. The result is a delicious dark, malty beer worth a trying and the brewery is a fab spot to visit and conveniently located in Braddon.
Not truffled out yet? Enjoy a pre-dinner drink at QT Canberra's Lucky's Speakeasy Bar and partake in a Truffle Negroni. This unique cocktail is available only during the truffle season and is a perfectly balanced concoction consisting of truffle infused Bulldog gin, Carpano Antico Formula, Campari, Orange Twist, Black Truffle Salt and Campari dust.
Indulge in a Truffle Degustation at Canberra institution Benchmark Wine Bar. The bustling restaurant has a brigade of female chefs led by French head chef Mathilde Pomies serving up generous comfort food perfect for winter in Canberra. The highlight of the four-course menu with matched wines was the 6 hour braised beef cheek with truffle mash potatoes & mixed greens. At $89pp or $119 with matched wines, it's great value and you won't go hungry.
When you've officially eaten and drunk everything truffle, retire in comfort at Hotel Realm. The boutique hotel is the flagship of the Realm precinct, which also includes the Burbury Hotel, Little National, various restaurants including Buvette Bistro and the new and impressive Hale Spa. Our Realm Suite was generously proportioned with cloud-like king bed and luxury ensuite bathroom with deep soaking bath. The separate spacious lounge room opened out to a large balcony and the kitchenette included a microwave, Nespresso coffee machine and fully stocked minibar and T2 teas. Loved the Smart TV with complimentary movies on demand, Foxtel and free WiFi ideal for relaxing and falling in to a Truffle food coma.
There are plenty more events to discover at The Truffle Festival – Canberra Region, so check out the full schedule on their website and get planning your truffle escape from June-August. To celebrate, we're also giving away a Winter Weekend Getaway with a Truffle Twist thanks to The Truffle Festival, Turalla Truffles and Hotel Realm. Enter now or book your winter escape to Hotel Realm here.
Do you love Truffles? Are you planning on heading to The Truffle Festival - Canberra Region this year?
The writer was a guest of The Truffle Festival and Hotel Realm.Images: IG @alluxia
