Staten Island's Italian wine list nobody expected
Staten island · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 20, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Pastavino’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Pastavino lands like a well-edited Italian playlist — tight, intentional, and with no filler. For a neighborhood spot on Staten Island, seeing Brunello di Montalcino and Sassicaia sitting alongside a solid Prosecco di Valdobbiadene is a genuine surprise. Sommelier Sergio Flores has clearly put thought into this, and it shows immediately.
The 100-plus bottle list is an unabashedly Italian affair, which is exactly the right call for this kitchen. Piedmont anchors the reds with Barolo from local producers, while Tuscany shows up in force — Chianti Classico Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone della Valpolicella, and the big-ticket Super Tuscans like Tignanello and Sassicaia. The white side is leaner, leaning on Pinot Grigio delle Venezie to carry the load, which is fine but leaves some room for growth if they ever want to add a Vermentino or Fiano. That said, the depth in the reds is punching well above what you'd expect for the zip code.
Twelve to twenty pours is a healthy by-the-glass program for a room this size, and the $10–$18 price range keeps things accessible without feeling like a cash grab. If Sergio is running the floor, ask what's open — there's a good chance something interesting from the bottle list has been cracked for the evening.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $35
At the low end of the bottle range, a proper Chianti Classico Riserva with the structure to handle the Bolognese and the Osso Buco is a steal. This is the kind of wine that costs twice as much with a Manhattan zip code.
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene
Most tables walk past it to get to the Barolo, but a proper Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco at the start of a pasta dinner is one of the better moves you can make — it's nothing like the mass-market stuff and bridges the gap between aperitivo and first course beautifully.
Sassicaia
A genuinely great wine, no question — but Super Tuscans at restaurant markup are rarely the smart play when the same list has Brunello and Barolo at friendlier prices. Save Sassicaia for a special occasion at home where you're not paying three to four times retail.
Amarone della Valpolicella + Osso Buco
Amarone's dried-grape intensity and brooding dark fruit are built for something as rich and braised as Osso Buco. The wine's weight matches the dish without steamrolling it, and the slight bitter finish cuts through the fat in all the right ways.
The Bottom Line
Pastavino is doing something genuinely worth noting in a borough that doesn't get a lot of wine-list credit — an all-Italian program with real depth, a sommelier who knows it, and prices that won't make you regret the second bottle. If you're in Staten Island and want to drink well with your pasta, this is the move.
· Eugene · Italian
Excelsior Inn Ristorante has the bones of a solid wine destination — Italian-focused list, upscale setting, food that deserves a proper bottle — but we can't fully vouch for it until the wine program is better documented. If you're heading there for a special occasion, ask your server what's drinking well from the Italian side and what they're pouring locally from Oregon; a restaurant this thoughtful about atmosphere usually has at least one or two right answers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Italian
An 'enoteca' with five wines is a bit like a steakhouse with one cut. The Italian-focused selection is at least on-theme, and the Aglianico shows someone made at least one interesting call — but five bottles, no whites, and no visible by-the-glass program is hard to defend under any concept, let alone this one. If wine matters to your night out, look elsewhere in San Diego.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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