Wine & business: Cantine Paololeo acquires the Candido winery in San Donaci

The phenomenon of mergers and acquisitions in the Italian wine industry continues unabated: the latest transaction in this regard comes from Puglia, where Cantine Paololeo, one of the most prestigious names in regional wine, has acquired the Candido winery, founded in 1929, which today has a production capacity of around 250,000 bottles. All this is happening in San Donaci (Brindisi), in a project dedicated to continuity: “This is an important step in the history of the winery and the territory, because the name of the company will remain strongly linked to its community”, explains a note.
This new acquisition enriches the project of Paolo Leo, founder of Cantine Paololeo (in 1989), to invest in the Apulia region, preserving important heritage rather than establishing new companies. After Alture, a project in the Itria Valley that has enabled a small group of winegrowers to maintain their business by guaranteeing them the continued purchase of grapes for the production of wines that are symbolic of the region, and the restoration of the ancient Cantina Sociale di Monteparano, which employs 150 small-scale winegrowers, the purchase of Candido now preserves a splendid Salento winery founded in 1929 and linked to the work of four generations.
“We are from San Donaci and our heart is here”, says Paolo Leo, “and being able to acquire a winery that is part of the history of our town and that I have always admired is a source of pride and honor for me. We will preserve this heritage with respect and care: we will maintain and enhance wine production, but we will also make it a place dedicated to wine tourism. The splendid location will, in fact, become a place for learning about wine and promoting San Donaci and Salento in general”. Wine tourism is, in fact, a constantly growing sector for the Salento area: with over 4 million visitors annually, it is an extraordinary driving force for making this wonderful corner of Italy known to the world. This growth also characterizes the demand for wine from Salento, now one of the most important wine-producing areas in Italy.
Paololeo’s commitment will be to renew the identity of the Candido winery, while maintaining its iconic wines: “Cappello di Prete, Duca D’Aragona, and Immensum will continue to be the flagship wines”, says Nicola Leo, Paololeo’s winemaker. “These wines have contributed to the history of Apulian winemaking, and we want to continue to promote them, combining the strength of tradition with an innovative and conscious vision of the present”.
The acquisition will also accelerate the already excellent growth recorded by Cantine Paololeo in recent years: in 2023, the company recorded a turnover of €22 million, with 4 million bottles produced, in 2024, the same index increased to €23 million, with 5 million bottles, and in 2025, thanks in part to Candido’s contribution, the forecast is to reach €25 million (over +8.5% on the previous year’s turnover), with 5.5 million bottles produced.