Pasticcio Mediterranean Grill
Warm Room, Cold Wine List Logic
Mandarin · Jacksonville · Mediterranean
Reviewed April 23, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into Pasticcio, the room earns its reputation — white tablecloths, warm light, the smell of grilled lamb doing real work. Then you open the wine list and the mood shifts. What you get is a short roster of familiar names that could have been pulled from any chain restaurant in a 50-mile radius.
Selection Deep Dive
The list leans hard on crowd-pleasing imports — Catena Malbec from Argentina, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, La Crema Chardonnay from California — and doesn't venture much beyond those comfort zones. There's no real engagement with Mediterranean or Spanish wine regions, which feels like a missed opportunity given that the kitchen is cooking octopus and lamb chops. No skin-contact wines, no southern Italian options, nothing that nods to the actual cuisine being served. The bottle range topping out around $80 suggests someone phoned this list in and hasn't revisited it since.
By the Glass
Eight by-the-glass options at $9–$14 sounds reasonable until you realize you're essentially choosing between the same recognizable labels in different formats. There's no rotation, no seasonal switch-up, and nothing that makes you want to linger over a second glass. It gets the job done if you just need something in your hand.
Catena Malbec 2021 — $38
It's the least egregious markup on the list and it actually has enough structure to hold up against the lamb chops. Still priced higher than it should be, but relative to everything else here, it's your best move.
La Crema Chardonnay
Most people write off La Crema as a grocery store pick, and they're not entirely wrong — but at a table anchored by grilled seafood, its restrained oak and decent acidity do more work than you'd expect. It's not exciting, but it's functional in a way the list's more casual options aren't.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2022
At $42 a bottle on a wine you can grab at Publix for $15, this is the list's most brazen markup at 180% over retail. Kim Crawford is fine wine, but not at nearly three times what you'd pay down the street. Hard pass.
Catena Malbec 2021 + Lamb Chops
Malbec and lamb is a cliché for a reason — the wine's dark fruit and firm tannins cut through the fat and char without bullying the meat. It's the one combination on this list where the wine actually earns its place on the table.
❌ The Bottom Line
Pasticcio has the food and the atmosphere to support a genuinely interesting wine program, and instead it's serving Kim Crawford at a 180% markup. Order a cocktail, enjoy the octopus, and don't let the wine list ruin the vibe the kitchen is working hard to create.
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