There must be a store near you with more informed clerks!

It's hard to give a brand because what's readily available here may not be available there. I'd find a better store. Any stores that specialize in wine instead of a garden-variety liquor store? Here, Costco has a nice selection, and I'd take just about anything in that price range from what they sell. But with some stores I would not trust them to have anything decent!

I'm thinkin that all you have to do is choose between
a sweet wine and a dry wine. Then let price be your
guide. Granted, there are $5 a bottle wines that are
better than $50 a bottle wines, so just go for the most
expensive, (I'm sure, if your neighbor is an a-fish-ionato,
then they will know how much you spent on them).
But you need to know if your neighbor likes sweet or dry.
I'm not a wine 'conna-sewer', but I like something
in between sweet and dry. And then there's your choice
of red or white. Lord, now I know why I don't drink wine.
Whisky is no problemo, either bourbon, or rye, TOP SHELF.
Easy Peasy.

I'd probably choose an old vine Zinfandel unless I knew their taste leaned to dry Cabernet or they only drank white wine. Most of old vine Zins are not overly dry and easy to drink either alone or paired with grilled meats. You can find a good selection in that price range at a grocery store with a half decent wine department.

A few that come to mind with wide distribution:
Kiinkerbrick
Bogle
Ravenswood
Rancho Zabaco
Predator

I'm not sure about price but I doubt any of these are over 20.

Eileen

I missed my typo.

Klinkerbrick

Another vote for Costco. Our local store has a good selection of reasonably priced wines. They also have signs with reviews and scores from Wine Spectator and other review sites. I use these to select wine, and have seldom been wrong. There are many decent wines around $10, and when you go to $15-20 there are some excellent buys.

Personally I would choose a pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon if you want red, and pinot grigio or chardonnay for a white. They're middle of the road wines which most would not find objectionable.

Cheryl

I'd get a La Crema chardonnay only because as a wine lover, I would be very happy with it!

In my experience more people who are not wine connoisseurs drink a fairly dry white.
You can't go wrong with a Bogel Sauvignon blanc or Chardonany or a Bogel Shiraz for a lighter red.
Here Bogel wines are about $10 a bottle...some places they may be a little mo0re or a little less.
another decent and usually available is Cupcake Pinot Grigio.

Both brands are pretty widely available....and not special....but a decent wine for the price.
Linda C

I think I'd look for a prosecco. It's very popular now and a great summer wine (and all year wine) and also a nice aperitif. You could easily find one in your price range and most people like a little bubbly, regardless of their taste in other wines.

Here is a link that might be useful: prosecco ratings