Diamonds In The Dirt: Napa Truffle Festival Begins Today

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Beginning today, Napa Valley will briefly trade Cabernet for something earthier as the Napa Truffle Festival returns, inviting food lovers to sniff, sip, and sample their way through black truffles, bubbly wine, and even a few enthusiastic truffle dogs — all in the name of one famously fragrant fungus.

The multi-day festival, anchored by an all-day marketplace and culinary experiences, brings together Michelin-starred chefs, truffle scientists, winemakers, and dog handlers to celebrate what organizers call a milestone year: the debut of ultra-fresh, American-harvested Périgord black truffles. With events ranging from tastings and seminars to vineyard lunches and live truffle-hunting demonstrations, the festival blends Napa indulgence with hands-on education — and a healthy dose of whimsy.

Today's schedule focuses on growers, beginning with the Scientific Truffle Grower Seminar and a day of “truffle cultivation 101." Saturday and Sunday are made for foodies.
The festivities begin in Napa style at the Westin Verasa Napa, where sparkling wine flows during a barstool interview hosted by festival MC Liam Mayclem. There, a culinary all-star lineup spills secrets about cooking with truffles before heading into a weekend of what organizers cheerfully call “truffle alchemy.”

Education plays a starring role. Guests can savor black truffle canapés while learning how to select, store, and shave truffles with Chef Ken Frank, then dive into the science of cultivation with world-renowned truffle researcher Prof. Paul Thomas. Robert Chang, Chief Truffle Officer of the American Truffle Company, leads an interactive truffle experience separating fact from fiction — including the myths behind synthetic truffle products — with plenty of smelling, touching, and tasting along the way. Winners of a truffle identification contest will take home a whole fresh truffle, bragging rights included.

At the Oxbow Public Market, visitors can wander stalls sampling truffle gougères, grilled oysters with truffle butter, truffle fries, and dark chocolate truffles — yes, the dessert kind. Shoppers can enter to win a whole “black diamond” truffle, no jeweler required.

And then there are the dogs. At Joseph Phelps Vineyards, trained truffle dogs demonstrate how they sniff out underground treasure while guests sip wine, snap photos, and offer generous pets. The vineyard also hosts a truffle lunch: a multi-course feast prepared by four Michelin-starred and master chefs, paired with Joseph Phelps’ most exclusive wines, and featuring fresh truffles in every course.