Elba DOC
エルバ DOC
Tuscany's original 1967 island DOC — mineral whites, reds & rosé.
About Elba DOC
- Producers listed
- 8
Elba DOC, established in 1967, is one of Tuscany's oldest denominations, covering the volcanic island of Elba in the Tyrrhenian Sea about 10 km off the Tuscan coast. Its maritime climate keeps temperatures 2-3°C cooler than the mainland, while iron-rich volcanic and granitic soils give the wines a distinctive salinity and mineral edge. The denomination is broad, covering dry white wines (Elba Bianco, often varietal Ansonica at a minimum 85%, or blends with Trebbiano Toscano and Vermentino), dry rosé, and red wines (Elba Rosso, minimum 60% Sangiovese, with a Riserva requiring at least two years of aging including six months in bottle). It is distinct from the higher-tier Elba Aleatico Passito DOCG, a sweet dessert wine made separately from 100% Aleatico grapes. With only about 350 hectares under vine and roughly 15 registered producers, Elba DOC remains one of Tuscany's smallest and most underrated appellations.
Best for
Explorers seeking mineral-driven, saline Mediterranean whites and reds beyond mainland Tuscany.
Food Pairings
Elba Bianco and rosé pair beautifully with local seafood, grilled fish, and shellfish; Elba Rosso suits Tuscan cured meats, grilled game, and aged pecorino.
Producers
アクアボーナ
Acquabona
Founded in the late 1950s on a farm whose roots trace back to the 1700s, Acquabona is one of the largest and most historic wine estates on the island of Elba, sited between the towns of Portoferraio and Porto Azzurro. Since 1986 the estate has been guided by three agronomist friends — Marcello Fioretti, Ugo Lucchini and Lorenzo Capitani — who set out to revive the island's traditional viticulture, and in 2024 a new generation (Federico Capitani, Riccardo Fioretti, Federico Ballati and Pietro Vallardi) took the helm. Across roughly 15 hectares of vineyards in the Acquabona and Lacona localities, the estate champions native varieties such as Aleatico, Ansonica and Sangiovese, farmed with an increasingly sustainable approach that has phased out broad-spectrum herbicides and insecticides. Acquabona is best known for its Aleatico dell'Elba DOCG, an elegant sweet red passito that has earned international awards, alongside a full range of Elba DOC reds, whites and rosés that capture the island's Mediterranean, sea-influenced terroir.
Explore →
www.acquabonaelba.com/アリギ・ヴィーニェ・エ・オリーヴィ
Arrighi Vigne e Olivi
Founded in 1920 through the union of the Arrighi and Gavassa families, this estate has farmed the hills above Porto Azzurro on the island of Elba for over a century. For most of the 20th century, winemaking was secondary to the family's hotel business, but under Antonio Arrighi — the third generation, joined today by his daughters Giulia (winemaker) and Ilaria (marketing) — wine became the heart of the project. Entirely within the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, the estate farms both vines and olive groves with a focus on sustainability and indigenous varieties. Arrighi is best known for 'Nesos', an experimental wine born in 2018 in collaboration with researchers from the University of Milan and University of Pisa: Ansonica grapes are submerged in wicker baskets in the sea for about five days to remove their bloom before drying in the sun and fermenting in terracotta amphorae, recreating the ancient winemaking method of Chios described by classical sources.
Explore →
www.arrighivigneolivi.it/アジィエンダ・アグリコーラ・サペレータ
Azienda Agricola Sapereta
Azienda Agricola Sapereta is a historic family-run estate on Elba Island, situated between Porto Azzurro and Capoliveri in the hamlet of Mola. Founded in 1927 by Italo Sapere, a former farmer and miner, the estate has been passed down through three generations of the same family, who have steadily expanded and refined its vineyards while preserving traditional Elban clones. Sapereta cultivates indigenous varieties such as Aleatico, Ansonica, Vermentino, Sangiovese and Trebbiano across vineyards registered with the Chamber of Commerce of Livorno for Elba DOC production, and has followed organic farming protocols certified by ICEA for over a decade. The estate's most celebrated wine is its Aleatico Passito dell'Elba DOCG, a traditional sweet dessert wine considered one of the island's signature products. Beyond winemaking, Sapereta operates as an agriturismo with apartments, a swimming pool and a restaurant serving Tuscan cuisine built around estate-grown produce, its own extra virgin olive oil, and its wines.
Explore →
www.sapereta.it/カンティーナ・マッツァッリ
Cantina Mazzarri
Cantina Mazzarri is a historic family winery in the Lacona area of Capoliveri, on the island of Elba, Tuscany. The Mazzarri family has cultivated this land since the early 1800s, and the estate's stone cellar at Colle Reciso dates back to the same period, with the first wine production recorded in the late 19th century. After a period of reduced activity, the estate was revived in 1996 by Paolo Mazzarri, a trained sommelier, who restored the old vineyards and modernized production while preserving traditional methods, bottling the first vintage in 1999. Today the estate farms around five hectares planted with Aleatico, Procanico, Vermentino, Moscato, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc, producing Elba Bianco DOC, Elba Rosso Vignanuova and Vignavecchia DOC, and the celebrated Aleatico Passito dell'Elba DOCG — the smallest and one of the newest DOCGs in Tuscany. The estate also produces extra virgin olive oil and welcomes visitors for tastings and agritourism stays.
Explore →
www.cantinamazzarri.itチェチリア
Cecilia
Founded in 1990 by Milanese engineer, industrialist and artist Giuseppe Camerini, Cecilia is one of the leading wine estates on the Island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany. The winery began at Podere La Casina near La Pila, in the municipality of Campo nell'Elba, and today farms roughly 10-11 hectares spread across small farmsteads near Marina di Campo and Procchio. Now guided by the next generation of the Camerini family with the support of noted oenologists Vittorio Fiore and Barbara Tamburini, Cecilia produces around 60,000-75,000 bottles a year using temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation alongside barrique aging. Its range centers on Elba's native varieties - Ansonica and Vermentino for crisp, saline whites, Sangiovese-based reds for the Elba Rosso DOC and its barrel-aged Riserva 'Imago', a 100% Syrah called Oglasa, and the traditional sweet Aleatico Passito DOCG - offering an authentic expression of the island's maritime terroir.
Explore →
www.vinicecilia.it/en/ファットリア・デッレ・リパルテ
Fattoria delle Ripalte
Fattoria delle Ripalte is a historic estate on the south-eastern promontory of the island of Elba, within the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. Founded in 1896 by the Swiss Count Tobler, the property was later abandoned as a hunting reserve before the current ownership took over in 1977. In 2002 Piermario Meletti Cavallari — formerly of Grattamacco in Bolgheri — revived viticulture on the estate, planting around 16 hectares of vineyards on stony, mineral-rich soils. The striking gravity-flow cellar, completed in 2010, was designed by renowned architect Tobia Scarpa and built from local Calamita stone. The estate focuses on the island's signature grape, Aleatico, producing the flagship Elba Aleatico Passito DOCG (Alea Ludendo), alongside a Vermentino-based white (Bianco delle Ripalte), an Alicante/Carignano-based red (Rosso delle Ripalte), and Aleatico rosé and sparkling wines.
Explore →
www.fattoriadelleripalte.it/en/レ・スゲレ・デル・モンテフィコ
Le Sughere del Montefico
Le Sughere del Montefico is a boutique winery and agriturismo located on the slopes of Montefico, a hill overlooking the town of Rio Marina on the east coast of the island of Elba, Tuscany. The estate spans 35 hectares, of which roughly 7 hectares are dedicated to terraced vineyards with mineral-rich, iron-bearing soils typical of Elba's historic mining district. The winery cultivates both traditional local varieties (Aleatico, Ansonica, Vermentino, Sangiovese) and international grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), producing Elba Bianco DOC, Elba Rosso DOC and the celebrated sweet Aleatico Passito. Annual production is around 70,000 bottles, harvested by hand in small boxes.
Explore →
www.lesughere.it/en/テヌータ・ラ・キウーザ
Tenuta La Chiusa
Tenuta La Chiusa overlooks the Gulf of Portoferraio on the island of Elba, Tuscany, and is the oldest wine estate on the island, with cellars and a hamlet dating to 1590. Founded by the Senno family, the property passed to the Foresi family in the mid-19th century, who ran it for some 150 years, before the Bertozzi Corradi family took over management in 2003. The 20-hectare estate, enclosed by the walls that give it its name, is planted with the indigenous varieties Vermentino, Ansonica, Trebbiano, Sangiovese and Aleatico on granitic and clay-iron soils shaped by the sea. Tenuta La Chiusa produces around 100,000 bottles a year of traditional Elba DOC white, rosé and red wines alongside Aleatico dell'Elba DOCG passito and extra-virgin olive oil, and also operates a small agriturismo with guided tours and tastings. Napoleon Bonaparte is recorded as having stayed at the estate twice shortly after arriving on Elba in 1814.
Explore →
tenutalachiusa.com/
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Elba DOC the same as Elba Aleatico Passito DOCG?
- No. Elba DOC is the broader, original 1967 denomination covering dry white, rosé, and red wines from the island. Elba Aleatico Passito DOCG is a separate, higher-tier appellation reserved exclusively for the sweet passito wine made from 100% Aleatico grapes.
- What grape varieties are used in Elba DOC wines?
- Elba Rosso requires a minimum of 60% Sangiovese, while Elba Bianco is typically based on Ansonica (minimum 85% for the varietal designation) or blends with Trebbiano Toscano and Vermentino.
- When was Elba DOC established?
- Elba DOC was established in 1967, making it one of the oldest wine denominations in Tuscany.
- How large is the Elba DOC production area?
- Elba DOC covers roughly 350 hectares of vineyard with about 15 registered producers, making it one of Tuscany's smallest and most exclusive appellations.
- What makes Elba DOC wines distinctive?
- Their maritime climate and iron-rich volcanic and granitic soils give Elba DOC wines a pronounced salinity and mineral character not typically found in mainland Tuscan wines.