The parade of wines that I drink is something like the people I sit next to on the subway: I see a multitude, but remember few. Now, as one season yields to the next, I’ve looked back to the wines of winter that did imprint themselves into memory rather than evanescing. Some came my way at press tastings or at restaurants, yet others were on my dining room table. Thrust of personality, often unexpected, marked each one of these bottles.While it’s easy enough for a wine journalist to cluck about the pricey rarities of the wine world, this selection of a dozen memorable wines focuses on examples that are modestly priced for the quality they deliver and readily available in and around New York.

1. Domaine Lafage Cote Est Blanc 2004, Cotes Catalanes A sassy blend of grenache blanc, grenache gris, and macabeo from Languedoc-Roussillon. So fresh, thanks to an acidic yet ripe trio of offbeat grapes.Perfect partner to a whole baked porgie at Cook Shop in Chelsea, where it is a bargain at $24. Also available at Wine Boutique in Mount Kisco at $11.

2. Wira Wira “Scrubby Rise” Shiraz 2003 Tastes of blueberry jam – the kind that’s more fruit than sugar. Creamy texture, long finish, and ever so poised at an unbeatable price for wine this finely calibrated. $9.99 at Sherry-Lehmann.

3. Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Riesling Feinherb 2004 Memorable for a name that sounds like it came out of a Monty Python skit – but also for its ravishing aromas and laser-beam of lime-inflected flavor. “Feinherb” indicates the wine is on the dry side of German riesling. $18.99 at Chambers Street Wines.

4. Flor de Pingus 2003, Ribero del Duero Globalism at its best, as the Bordeaux trained Dane Peter Sisseck ennobles his Iberian vineyards (“I’m a Dane but my heart is in Spain”) with extraordinary wines like this: carressingly rich with intimations of ripe raspberries and chocolate. Sweet tannins. Compared to its ultra-pricey “big brother,” simply called Pingus, this wine is a bargain. $59.95 at Sherry-Lehmann.

5. Yarden Syrah “Tel Phares” 2001, Galilee Israel’s best winery typically turns out well-mannered bottlings. Sometimes, I yearn for a wild side to Yarden, and here it is: a syrah with scents of smoke and bacon and the taste of a blueberries that pirouette into essence of dark chocolate. Sexy stuff and at its peak. $29.95 at Union Square Wines.

6. Santa Rita “Floresta” Sauvignon Blanc 2005 If you like your sauvignon blanc to accelerate with pedal-to-the-metal, citrusy zing, this new Chilean bottling is right up there with the best versions from New Zealand. Mouthwatering acidity makes this an ideal sipper before dinner. Soon to arrive at better wine shops.

7. La Passion d’une Vie, Cotes du Roussillon 2003 Lots of decent, toothsome wine comes from this southern French region. Rare is the example that gets all the deluxe TLC of a top-rung Bordeaux, including aging in new oak barrels. Densely textured, spicy, and leathery, this wine from Bernard Magrez pumps out oodles of flavor. $22.97 at PJ Wine.

8. Chianti Ruffino 2003 Although it’s from the lowest rung of the Chianti classifica tion, this example struck me as a startlingly pure expression of the sangiovese grape.Well, not quite pure, since it includes 10% of canaiolo, a grape once more prominent in Chianti. Still, the bright, slightly edgy, cherry-inflected character of sangiovese, undistracted by oak, is impeccably presented at an almost silly price. $6.97 at PJ Wine.

9. Pascual Toso Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Malbec may be the bright shining star of Argentinian reds, but that’s no reason to neglect a “cab” such as this one in the Bordeaux style. Cassis on the nose, then firm flavors of plums and coffee. From an old winery whose quality has been uplifted by California consultant Paul Hobbs. $15.99 at Beacon Wines.

10. Chappellet Dry Chenin Blanc 2003 Amid a sea of Napa Valley “chards” and sauvignon blancs, here’s a welcome change of pace. Over the decades, Chappellet has kept the faith with chenin blanc, even expanding its acreage on prime vineyard land that other wineries would plant to more remunerative varieties.This wine projects melon and tart apple aromas and flavors that gain thrust from hefty alcohol listed at 14.5%. A distinctive seafood wine. $14.95 at Morrell & Company.

11. Gallo Family Sonoma Reserve Pinot Noir 2004 Not a showy wine, but true to its grape and characterful. It’s marked by good body, dark fruit flavors, and chewy texture. Made by third-generation family winemaker Gina Gallo. For the price, no other California pinot noir that I know of delivers more value. $10.85 from Pop’s Wines.

12. Tsukasabotan “Shizuku” Sake A standout at International Wine Cen ter’s recent sake seminar. Along with its bright, spiced plummy aromas and hazelnut and mandarin orange flavors, this rice wine had enormous verve in the mouth. If you’ve only sampled tame sake (as I had), this one will come as a surprise. From an elite sake category called Junmai Daigino, in which half or more of the outher layer of rice is polished away prior to fermentation. $70 at Landmark Wine & Sake, where proprietor Kane Yoon can answer all your questions about the many catagories of sake.