America's Pairing Meccas

Wine director Glenn Vogt's 6,000-bottle list and 60,000-bottle cellar are almost insanely huge, a nice counterpoint to Bradford McDonald's precise New American cooking.

Napa Valley's best pairing spot happens to be in a Westin hotel. Chef Ken Frank and wine director Scott Tracy's brilliant combinations (like quail with chestnut gnocchi and premier cru Pommard) are unmissable.

Sommelier Joseph Catterson comes up with incredible pairings for each of the 25 courses on chef Grant Achatz's avant-garde tasting menus, a daunting task, especially when the dishes includes things like red-pepper taffy and hyacinth vapor.

Quince's superstar wine director, David Lynch, and chef Michael Tusk invite top winemakers to spend time "in residence" creating special pairing dinners.

Master sommelier Bobby Stuckey brings the staff on an annual eating-and-drinking sojourn to Friuli. For the customer, that means excellent pairing advice.