Lamborghini is no stranger to the Fuji Speedway. A permanent base is set up trackside, and their supercars have taken to the tarmac time and time again. But on October 8th and 9th, a quieter version of the brand took the stage at the hotel.
This was the Lamborghini Wines Golf Invitational and Wine Evening. A sparkling, elegant tribute to one of Ferruccio Lamborghini’s greatest passions: his vineyard in Umbria, central Italy. On that October night, more than 4,000 miles away, Tokyo’s business world received an exclusive look into that pastoral Italian dream through our partners at Lamborghini Wines.
Taste of Umbria at the Fuji Speedway Hotel
“Thank you for joining us, my friends,” Satoshi Shibata, our host and distributor of Lamborghini wines in Asia said, warmly shaking hands with us as we entered.
The dress code was business, and the crowd followed it with their own touches of flair. It was a Thursday evening and the guests arrived looking like they had come straight from the office: men in suits, women in dresses or other business wear, but each with a touch of orange or gold in honor of their hosts. The lobby of the Fuji Speedway Hotel slowly filled while we waited for the reception to open. It looks out over the speedway’s main entrance and is full of driving and racing memorabilia, so there was plenty to savor at for the car enthusiast.
Nobody went thirsty or hungry in the meantime. We were handed flutes of sparkling wine and offered light finger foods that fused Italian and Japanese cooking, with a salmon bruschetta among them. The prosecco and spumante helped conversations begin early and the food was a small preview of the menu to come.
The hotel is part of the speedway complex in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, about 100 kms from Tokyo. Holding a wine evening there, surrounded by racing history, helped turn a business function into something closer to an evening away from home.
Networking and Italian-Japanese fusion
When the doors opened, we walked into a hall of standing round tables arranged around a stage. Standing tables kept the room fluid, and groups formed and shifted easily. Lamborghini decorations had been placed throughout, and the one I admired most was a bottle of Lamborghini sparkling wine made entirely of candy by one of the invitees. It must have taken real patience to build, and was instantly eye catching.
Celebrating Ferruccio Lamborghini’s legacy
Shibata proposed the toast that opened the evening.
“To Ferrucio, whose passion made this possible.”
The program that followed was relaxed. Live vocalists performed a melody I found haunting, and a video told the history of Lamborghini Wines. That history begins with Ferruccio Lamborghini himself who, after building one of the most famous car companies in the world, retired to an estate in Umbria between Lake Trasimeno and the medieval village of Panicale and gave his attention to the vines.
Between the performances guests were free to mingle and a room full of business people made good use of the time. A Lamborghini backdrop gave groups a place to pose for photos together, with a beautiful sky-blue Lamborghini parked outside for anyone who wanted the brand’s iconic logo in the shot.
Dinner was an open buffet. There was salad and fruit, plus freshly made sushi and Italian-Japanese fusion dishes. Dessert was a delicious array of macarons, mini puddings, cakes and cookies. A range of Lamborghini wines was available and guests could order bottles to be delivered.
“The bottles look perfect for a special occasion,” Ed confided in me, before purchasing a bottle for his personal collection.
Late in the evening, it was revealed that it was Shibata’s birthday so a cake was brought out for him. He had hosted the whole night, so it felt right that the room’s attention turned to him before things wound down.
Day Two: Golf Invitational at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba
The second day moved to the Taiheiyo Club’s Gotemba Course to the golf invitational for a select group of guests. The setting says a good deal about the intent. Gotemba is the flagship of the hillside Taiheiyo Club designed by Shunsuke Kato—one of Japan’s most prominent and influential golf course architects who crafted some 70 courses that blend natural scenery with strategic, challenging layouts—that opened in 1977 at the foot of Mt Fuji.
It has long hosted the Taiheiyo Masters from where Mt Fuji is in view for much of the round. The wine evening gave guests a hall full of people to meet. A day of golf gives them a full round alongside a smaller group, with long stretches between shots to talk. For a brand still introducing its Umbrian wines to Japanese business circles, that kind of patient, conversational time with the right people was the perfect event.
