It was time to meet a colleague for lunch in a local restaurant and upon arriving, I took a seat and waited. And waited. And waited.

Where was my friend? I checked my phone — there were no messages about being late or having to cancel our lunch. After a period of time, it became clear I had been stood up.

It’s a bit disappointing being stood up, isn’t it? After all, you had made a plan to meet, maybe even cleared your calendar to be there and you got stood up! Wouldn’t it be interesting to interview a person who has just been stood up? Oh, the emotions one could uncover.

But the intriguing thing is those uncovered emotions might not surprise you because they could run the gamut from outright relief to sincere and hurtful disappointment. From: “Whew! I can now finish this other project,” to: “I can’t believe she/he left me standing alone — what’s wrong with them? At least, they could have messaged me in someway to inform me our meeting was going to happen. I am not happy!”

Maybe we should see those stood up moments as an opportunity to be alone and to think. Or, how about using that extra slot of time to visit an old friend? Or, just go to the park and take an energizing walk in nature.

Yes, an old friend had stood me up but that’s all right because I had time to think about and write about some old friends. What old friends you might ask? Well, some good old liquid friends.

Over the past years, many wines have become friends of mine. Not because I’ve consumed so much of them but because they please me with their stories, scents, sights and tastes. For example…

A very good old wine friend of mine is Edna Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I have a bottle looking at me now — vintage 2014 — which was a good year for California Central Coast and especially, wines from the Paso Robles region of the area.

Why is this wine a friend of mine? Because I absolutely love its magnificent black cherry aroma taste. The taste is medium bodied and possesses a bit of spiciness and cedar. When one adds in the nice dry finish, it’s hard not to enjoy this vino friend and it has never left me standing alone.

The Bogle Vineyards have been in the same family for over 50 years and, in that amount of time, they’ve learned to make special wines. One of their appetizing summer wines is their rosé. Whether you are being stood up or with a host of family and friends, this crisp wine is extremely delicious on a hot summer evening.

I always like the color of a rosé and Bogle’s nice hefty soft red is very pleasing to the eyes. Upon opening the bottle, one is greeted with aromas of strawberries and your first taste of the wine will solidify the strawberry aromatic greeting. What always catches my attention is the bit of pepper at the finish. It’s a wonderful way to be left standing.

Moving along to California’s Monterey County, I really enjoy Robert Mondavi Private Selection Bourbon Barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon and for multiple reasons.

First, Mondavi’s Cabernet Sauvignon is iconic. It’s been around for decades and is a standard of the California wine industry. It’s full bodied and luscious on the palate and is very good without the bourbon barrel aging. But, when the wine is aged, oh my…

Not only do you receive the usual black cherry taste but because of being in the barrel, it gathers in the vanilla and brown sugar for you to enjoy. The wine itself can stand up to any challenger but when mated to the barrel for awhile, nothing can stand up to it!

Another old friend that never deserts me is Pacific Rim’s Dry Riesling. The Columbia Valley of Washington delivers excellent wines and this Riesling has never not satisfied me.

Coming to you at 13.5% alcohol, its dryness and crispness are superb. It blends together the minerality of the region with peachy acidity and leaves your thirst quenched and invites you to re-sip.

A new and soon to be old wine friend is Washington Hills Cabernet Sauvignon. It might be the best Cabernet Sauvignon I’ve tasted from Washington.

I totally enjoyed the full robust taste of the wine with its black cherry and delicate plum taste at the finish. It’s a dry wine and if you’re standing over your grill and finishing off a nice steak this summer, pour a glass of this treat.

So there are some old friends that never leave me standing alone. Oh, by the way, that friend who stood me up in the restaurant? Well, it seems we were both in the restaurant at the same time and didn’t see each other.

I wonder what one calls that type of situation?

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!