Dalla Valpolicella alla Factory Lamborghini: l'Amarone nel tempio dell'eccellenza italiana automobilistica

Title: From Valpolicella to the Lamborghini Factory: Amarone in the Temple of Italian Automotive Excellence

February 2026 marked an extraordinary moment for Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde: we were invited into the sacred temple of the Automobili Lamborghini factory. It meant truly stepping into Italian excellence, where every gesture is measure, precision, and vision.

In this exceptional setting, I had the honor of taking part in a talk dedicated to the value of time, alongside Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman and CEO of Lamborghini, and Giuseppina Polito, Wealth Manager at Sanpaolo Invest.

Guiding the discussion with balance and depth was Giuseppe Riccardi, publisher of the financial magazine Fondi e Sicav. With intelligence and sensitivity, he wove together the three worlds present — industry, finance, and wine — bringing the debate onto shared ground: the construction of long-term value.

A dialogue between seemingly different worlds — engines, finance, wine — yet deeply united by one key expression: Italian excellence.

Excellence is not speed. It is vision.

When asked, “What is required every day to continue being excellent?” the answer that emerged was clear: discipline, consistency, and constant investment.

Lamborghini represents one of the most powerful icons of Made in Italy worldwide. Yet what strikes you, walking through the factory, is not only performance. It is care — craftsmanship combined with the most advanced technology.

The very same care we devote to Amarone in Valpolicella.

The Luxury of Time

During the conversation, I wished to bring a different perspective: that of wine as the ultimate expression of time.

An extraordinary car is born from years of research and engineering.

An Amarone is born from manual harvest, slow drying of the grapes, patient fermentation, and long aging.

Today, time has become the true luxury.

In an accelerated world, allowing oneself time to create — or to live an experience — is a privilege. In our winery in Valpolicella, many guests choose to “gift themselves time”: time to listen, to taste, to understand.

Wine is not consumed. It is lived, it is shared. A beautiful concept: someone purchases a product so that someone else may enjoy it — together with the buyer or even alone.

Why Does a Client Choose Lamborghini?

And Why Choose Amarone?

One of the most powerful provocations that emerged during the meeting was:

“Why does a client choose Lamborghini?”

The answer is surprisingly similar to that of Valpolicella’s iconic wine.

You do not choose only a product.

You choose a story.

You choose a philosophy.

You choose to belong to a universe of values.

Those who choose a great Amarone choose depth, patience, structure, identity.

Those who choose Lamborghini choose character, uniqueness, emotion.

In both cases, it is not a purchase. It is a statement.

Time as Investment

In the dialogue with the world of financial advisory, another fundamental concept emerged: we live in a complex and uncertain context, where decisions require clarity and long-term vision.

We are in an era of more conscious savers, yet also more exposed to global variables. Time, even in finance, is no longer merely duration — it is strategy.

This is why the parallel is so powerful:

• A great wine is an investment of time.

• An iconic brand is an investment in reputation.

• A financial decision is an investment in trust.

Custodians of Excellence

What deeply struck me while visiting the factory was the awareness that we are all, in the end, temporary custodians of a heritage greater than ourselves.

In Valpolicella, we safeguard vineyards, tradition, and landscape.

At Lamborghini, they safeguard innovation, design, and engineering.

Italian excellence does not happen by chance. It is born of responsibility.

From Factory to Vineyard

Bringing Amarone into a place that symbolizes extreme performance meant reaffirming a message: speed fascinates, but it is time that builds value.

And today, true luxury lies in knowing how to wait.