Former "Sopranos" star Vincent Pastore went on an expletive-filled rant this weekend ... after a crew member on his new reality show accused him of drinking too much to drive -- and TMZ has the footage.


According to the clip, the female crew member on VH1's new restaurant-themed "Famous Food" -- which also stars Heidi Montag, Danielle Staub, and Ashley Dupre -- refused to return Vinnie's car after a long day of shooting, claiming the actor had been drinking a lot ... and Vinnie FLIPPED.

Vinnie denies drinking in the clip -- insisting he poured his wine back into the bucket all night ... but the crew member doesn't budge.

We're told Vinnie eventually abandoned his crusade -- and caught a ride home with a friend. Better safe than sorry.

We finally know who to blame for the rise of "Jersey Shore" -- and ironically, it's one of the greatest television shows of all-time ... "The Sopranos."


TMZ ran into "Sopranos" star Joseph Gannascoli at Vincent's Restaurant in New York yesterday -- where he admitted that his show "paved the way" for Snooki & company ... who also play Italian stereotypes on TV.

And in a horrible twist of fate ... Jwoww and her reality show crew also showed up to the restaurant.

They must have given the milk jugs a day off.

Denise Borino-Quinn, famous for playing the role of Ginny Sacrimoni on "The Sopranos," died earlier this week after a long battle with liver cancer. She was 46.


Borino-Quinn won the role in an open casting call and had no prior acting experience at the time. She lost 175 pounds after the show went off the air using stomach stapling surgery, but was still often recognized by fans.]

"The Sopranos" was her only acting gig.