I have tried many many wine in different price ranges from different countries and I have to say 'you get what you pay for' often does not apply to wine.
I don't know how it is in the U.S. but in Europe it is interesting to see the differences in regional wine preference. Italians tend to prefer the lighter reds, while the French prefer the well aged wines with strong tannins.
If you lean more towards the French in terms of wine preference, you will probably be somewhat less enthusiastic about the Italian wines, no matter how much effort went into their creation and how expensive a bottle might be, or visa verse.
It's often more a matter of personal taste than quality.