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The Spaniard Banderas, 48, who appeared in many successful Hollywood movies including the "Legend of Zorro" and as the voice of Puss in Boots in several "Shrek" movies, has bought 50 percent of a state-of-the-art winery called Anta Bodega in Villalba de Duero, on the banks of the Duero River in northern Spain.
The 230 hectare (570 acre) estate, renamed as Anta Banderas Bodega, makes four red wines and a rosé using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and the local Spanish grape Tempranillo, according to his website. The winery was founded in 1999 by Teodoro Ortega with an initial investment of € 30 million. Now his sons Federico and Teodoro are actively managing the business.
‘Antonio Banderas is someone who is passionate about the world of wine and it makes us proud that he selected us as partners. Together, we'll continue standing for quality and we will provide the operation with a bigger international dimension," Federico Ortega said in a statement.
The Spanish actor and singer would like to be personally involved in the wine making process. The winery has a production capacity of 1.5 million bottles per year (125,000 cases), which are sold throughout Spain and exported mainly to the Americas, Europe and Asia
The Spanish actor joins a list of owner-producers that includes American actor Michael Douglas, French star Gerard Depardieu, Spanish singer Joan Manuel Serrat, American Director Francis Ford Coppola, dedicated oenophile and the Golden Globe Award winner Kyle MacLachlan, British singer Cliff Richard and of course Sting.
The spot for the first Bollywood celebrity owing a vineyard still lies vacant, at least on paper. With a choice of owning a vineyards in Nashik, Bangalore or even Chile, Australia or South Africa it should excite at least one star in India, passionate enough about wine, to grab the historic position; one day very soon there may be many of the younger successful stars who will let their passion lure them to explore various wine destinations and own a piece of the pie. |