How Expensive Can a Cheap Wine Be?

With a recommendation.

The cost of nearly everything we consume, wear, touch or think about has risen recently, including — to narrow the focus — wine. I used to think that the “sweet spot” for quality/price ration in a bottle of wine was $15 to $25, that is, a spread in which quality and price most closely aligned. Less than $15, and especially under $10, and you get into mass-produced wines of little integrity, character or personality. More than $25, and especially higher (and higher), and you’ve reached the level of prestige winemaking and marketing where money talks, lifestyles beckon and plutocrats fill their cellars.