Here is my heuristic: - Look for a screw-cap bottle of wine priced about $14-18. This price point gets you a bottle that is likely worth the extra few bucks ov

Here is my heuristic: - Look for a screw-cap bottle of wine priced about $14-18. This price point gets you a bottle that is likely worth the extra few bucks over the bottom-tier pricing ($2-$12 range) and which is able to avoid having to use a cork to appear sophisticated. Screw-tops are associated with cheap wine, so any wine that has one and still commands a market price above bargain basement ($2-$10) is likely decent. - Also, European countries heavily subsidize the wine industry, so it's possible to get great wine for around €8. In America those might end up costing $15-$20 but they are still a better value than most $30-$40 American wine (which is overpriced b/c of the super expensive real estate it is grown on and lack of subsidy).