Has a startup found the secret to growing the elusive truffle? (Published 2016) (2024)

NAPA, California - The truffle dog weaves through hundreds of oak and hazelnut trees with his nose to the ground. Her goal is to sniff out the Perigord truffle, a mushroom so prized by chefs that it has been called the diamond of the kitchen.

This is a training round: Gig searches for (and eventually finds) a patch of truffle planted by her owner, Alyson Hart, at the behest of the winery's owner, Robert Sinskey. Soon Mr. Sinskey, the English shepherd, goes in search of the real underground McCoy.

Mr. Sinskey is a winemaker who is entering a new field: truffle cultivation. It can be a challenging undertaking. Truffles, which grow underground among the roots of certain trees, are notoriously difficult to tame, requiring trained animals like the Gig to find them by scent. Once dug up, they quickly lose their flavor.

Yet they promote deep devotion. Black Perigords can sell for $600 to $1,200 per pound, depending on the season. Only white truffles, which have completely escaped domestication, are prized and more expensive.

There are some big Perigord farms in Europe, New Zealand and Australia, but things aren't going so well in the US. A few years ago, a successful truffière (truffle farm) in Tennessee was severely damaged by a hazelnut tree. Since the 1970s, millions of dollars have been invested and lost by people trying to grow sophisticated truffles in America.

Sir. Sinskey, who has planted 588 trees that he hopes will eventually produce fragrant and valuable black truffles, watched Gig work. He acknowledged the risk of his plan: "It's more about romance now."