On the way back down from the Viviers Cathdral, we picked up the local guide for the “Black Diamond” Truffle Experience (Jane) and another person from our group who had apparently done enough walking for the day. It was also raining. Cobblestones can be quite treacherous in the rain.
Since I was the only person who had signed up for the “Black Diamond” Truffle Experience, I was given enough time to take a short break before we headed out. It was just me, Jean Loup, Jane, and the driver.
We had quite a drive around in the countryside of Grignan before reaching the truffle farm. At one point we went by a castle. Jane said that she usually stops at the castle but, as it was raining, we would not be doing so. She had no clue as to how much that hurt my heart as a castle lover. Since it was raining and we were too close to the castle, it wasn’t practical for me to even get a photo of it at that point.
At the truffle farm, the house was large and made of stone (small pieces rather than large blocks). The owner (Gilles) was tall, slender, with unruly, longish, grey hair and the beginnings of a scraggly beard. He was dressed in pink shorts, pink slip-on shoes, and a blue shirt. He also had a fairly thick French accent and was concerned about his command of the English language, but I assured him that I could understand him just fine. He was rather quiet and unassuming. Essentially he was just exactly what I would have pictured.
His great grandfather had begun the truffle business (Aymes Truffe) back in 1850 when a large part of the vineyard was destroyed by an invasion of insects. Gilles explained all about truffles. They are essentially a type of mushroom. They need three conditions in order to develop: 1) a special tree that serves as a host; 2) a particular kind of soil; 3) and a special climate. At his farm, they were constantly planting new trees. The main varieties were oaks and hazelnuts.
Two female yellow labs came out with Gilles’ wife to demonstrate how they find the truffles. Back in the day, pigs were used to find truffles. The problem was that the pigs also loved to eat the truffles. So they had to have the truffles wrestled away from them.
Dogs can be trained to sniff out the truffles without having to fight them for them. These dogs sniffed around and then pawed at the ground when they found something. Giles then dug up what they found and the dogs were rewarded with their favorite treats. The first photo included here shows a couple of truffles fresh out of the ground.
The dogs didn’t pay much attention to the visitors until they were done with the job they were supposed to do. Once they were rewarded and released, they came up to us, wagging their tails and looking for some petting.
Back at the house, Gilles brought out some truffles that had previously been cleaned and were ready to be eaten. He used a mandolin slicer to shave them down to thin slivers which he piled onto baguette slices and topped with olive oil and sea salt. He prepared a whole plate full and offered red, white or rose wine.
The only truffles I had ever had were tiny slivers inside pate and other things. I had never actually tasted any truffles of a decent size. What if I didn’t like them? Either way I really enjoyed the tour. But I didn’t want to be making a face or trying to choke down a mouthful of something that tasted horrible. No problem. They were delicious. Good thing since we had a whole plateful for just me, Jean Loup and Jane to share. I had a rose wine with mine.
I never thought I would ever be able to say that I was full of truffles. But I was full of truffles by the time we left. Gilles had some for sale that were packed in a jar. He also had some truffle oil for sale. I bought some of each. They had a website from which I can order more.
We took a shorter route back to the ship, but stopped briefly so I could take a photo of the castle we had passed earlier from a distance. The ship was supposed to have set sail at 6:00pm, but we didn’t arrive until 6:10pm. Fortunately I was with Jean Loup. They wouldn’t leave without him. They did have to put the gangway back in place so we could get onboard.
At dinner that night, I met the other couple that would be on the entire trip with me in addition to Roberta & Jeff. This new couple was Vicki & Tony.
That night, we had escargot as appetizers. I love escargot and order it whenever possible and feasible. So I know how to handle it – normally. For some reason these snails had burrowed themselves as far into their shells as possible. In order to get them out, it was necessary to wrestle with them. There were a couple people at our table who shot one of theirs across the room, shell and all. I managed to eat five of my six. That last one just wasn’t coming out for anything.
Next time – Tournon
Truffles 
Truffle dogs 
Truffle dogs 
The house 
Some truffles and a glass of wine 
One of the dogs by the hearth 
Jarred truffles for sales 
Truffle oil for sale 
Grignan Castle