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I like wine, i’ll drink, but short of it being terrible, i’ve never been able to form a preference for any one type, i certainly couldn’t tell a quality difference between a bottle that costs 15 and one that costs 150

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I think the prices much above $15 have more to do with things that have or should have a rare taste rather than a better taste in some sense that is market neutral.

I'm more familiar with the world of spirits but it's much the same situation - there is certainly unpalatable swill on the very bottom shelf, but at some fairly low price point you hit a perfectly adequate level of quality and products priced above that level are about some combination of brand cachet and/or unique and interesting flavors, moreso than being objectively "better".

>at some fairly low price point you hit a perfectly adequate level of quality

Buffalo Trace for bourbon, for example.

Rare taste, unusual combinations, extremely smooth character or historical value are some of the marks for why people pay extra for wine. There's fantastic cheap wine out there, just like you don't have to spend on wagyu beef to get perfectly good steak.

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