Recommendations for Italian wine basics tasting?

Hello All, I'm going to be doing a little informal wine basics tasting with a friend who just recently started a job at a fine dining restaurant. She needs to brush up on her wine knowledge, in particular she requested that we study Italian wines.

So I'm brainstorming the wines that I want us to try, and I'm thinking that I'll definitely include most of the following - but if anyone has any suggestions to add to this list (or make substitutions) I'd love to hear it. I should probably mention that this restaurant is a high-end steakhouse, so I think we should focus mainly on red wines.

Nebbiolo from Piemonte - probably a Barolo, or maybe a Barbaresco
Brunello
Amarone and/or Valpolicella
Chianti
some form of Supertuscan (or, more realistically for our price range, a "baby Supertuscan" - suggestions for a good producer?)
maybe a red from Sicily
Soave and/or a Pinot Grigio

If she is going to be working at a high-end Steakhouse, she had better know her CA Cabernet and Bordeaux first (Steakhouses generally have the most uninspired, l-c-d lists in restaurantdom.) that said, I would think that Barbera and Dolcetto deserve a place on your list if only for their prominent places in the world of Italian wine.

Why not a Montepulciano from Abruzzo or le Marche? There is certainly Rosso Conero or Rosso Piceno out there that SHOULD be featured in Steakhouses.

Finally, it would be a shame not to include some wines from Südtirol\Alto Adige for the sake of completeness. Some of the greatest Italian whites and most interesting Italian reds hail from there -not that Steakhouse clientele would order them, but I would!

Cheers,
Bill

If I'm thinking Italian varieties with steak, first thought is probably Sangiovese (Brunello or larger framed Chianti), second choice is probably Aglianico from Campania.

If it were me and I was on a budget, I'd get:
a basic Nebbiolo (Langhe or Alba), maybe from the Produttori
a Rosso di Montalcino
a Chianti Classico
a Taurasi
a Nero d'Avola
Allegrini Palazzo della Torre or some other less expensive Corvina based Veronese wine
a baby SuperTuscan or SuperUmbrian (like the Falesco Merlot)
Should be easy to keep each of these under $20 US. My thinking is that these are not only less expensive, but generally more approachable that say a young Barolo or Amarone.
Could easily throw in a Dolcetto, Barbera, Lagrein, Grignolino, Etna Rosso, etc but a lot less likely to see those at a steakhouse.

Hmmm, my first response seems to have gotten eaten by the computer. Oh well.

Bill and Dale, thanks for the insight. I definitely like some of your suggestions to substitute more affordable wines for some of the pricier ones. Also, Bill - I totally agree that she should know her Californians. I checked their wine list and while I think it may vary slightly from what's online, it's almost completely dominated by CA wines. Sigh. But she's fairly comfortable with those and she's starting her ISG training soon, so I think we'll stick to Italians this time around. At least, I hope we do, because I don't feel like a California tasting!

I am a big fan of the Caburnio Toscana from Tenuta Monteti. DeVines carries it still I believe.

Yes that Caburnio is a good ol' standby wine, especially if you're after something mirroring the Supertuscan style. Haven't had the most recent vintage yet, so it'll be interesting to see how it's changed.

Melissa--

For a "baby Super-Tuscan," you might consider the "Ateo" blend (Sangio/Cab S/Merlot, should be $25-ish) from Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona, a noted Montalcino producer. Many of the fully grown STs (Ornellaia etc.) have second wines, too, if you'd rather go that route.

I'd second Dale's suggestion for an Aglianico, and a Taurasi would likely be fine example. (I'm partial to Caggiano's Salae Domini, which should be $20-ish.)

. I checked their wine list and while I think it may vary slightly from what's online, it's almost completely dominated by CA wines. Sigh. But she's fairly comfortable with those and she's starting her ISG training soon, so I think we'll stick to Italians this time around. At least, I hope we do, because I don't feel like a California tasting!

Nor do I. And while we´re at it, I don´t ever feel like eating at a steakhouse either. Don´t get me wrong. I like steak. I have lived in Montana and have visited Argentina a few times. Delicious creatures, those cows. But it seems to me that perhaps someone should open a lambhouse, a goathouse, or indeed a wild-boarhouse. I´ll bet that THOSE places wouldn´t have a problem with a Lagrein By-the-glass.

Cheers,
Bill

Lots of good suggestions here. I'm one of those that likes Barolo/Barbaresco (more on Barolo) with steaks. If on a budget, there's are plenty of them, Including Ressia, Tenuta Rocca, Damiulano, Stefano Farina. Even when young, Barolo goes well with a good cut of beef.