Antonio Banderas plans hotel at Spanish vineyard

(AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE DESMAZES)

Antonio Banderas wants to ramp up production at his vineyard in the north of Spain and build a hotel there, the Hollywood film star said in an interview published on Sunday.

"I have plans to revitalize this project with conferences, for example, on wine and literature, and I want to promote wine tourism," Banderas told the weekly magazine supplement of the El Mundo newspaper.

"In fact, we are studying the possibility of building a small hotel to welcome wine enthusiasts because it is a marvelous place."

Banderas, 49, who appeared in the Oscar-winning "Philadelphia" and supplies the voice of Puss In Boots in several "Shrek" movies, bought 50 percent of a state-of-the-art winery on the banks of the Duero River in March.

The 250 hectare (620 acre) property, called Anta Banderas, makes red and rose wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and local grape Tempranillo.

It produces around 600,000 bottles of wine per year, but Banderas said it has the capacity to make two million bottles without losing quality.

"But after this number we would have to think of expanding the winery. We want to stabilize ourselves first in the Spanish and European market and then focus on the American market," he said.