I have been to couple wine tastings but its usually more about blind testing and picking a "winner" in a certain category. i.e. Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, ect... Its actually a good time because after about 15 minutes of tastings you are feeling like tasting more
Usually (85% or so) of the time, the more expensive wines win the blind taste tests. HOWEVER, there are a few instances where a $10 bottle will win and everyone goes crazy.