Wine Spectator's 2015 Restaurant Awards have recognized more than 3,600 dining spots around the world for their excellent wine lists. (Find them all in our online Restaurant Search or our Aug. 31, 2015, issue of the magazine.) But in any restaurant, wine service can make or break the experience, no matter how deep the cellar or diverse the wine choices.

A lot of factors go into great service: the accuracy, organization and presentation of the wine list; the quality of the glassware provided; the serving temperature of the wines; how well tasks like decanting and checking for flawed wines are handled, and of course, the interactions between the sommeliers and the customers when choosing the right wines to suit the diners and their food orders.