Is there a way to tell if a wine is dry, before tasting it (besides tasting notes)? Any recommendations of dry reds that are fairly commonplace?

Alcohol content is fairly reliable for table wines. The higher the alcohol content, the drier the wine will be in most cases.

As far as recommendations are concerned, search here using the search function. Use the term "QPR" in the search to find wines that posters think represent a good value for the money. Happy hunting!

PH