Audrey Frick began her career in wine at Bobby Stuckey’s famed Northern Italian restaurant Frasca in Boulder, Colorado. She continued her meteoric rise at Tavernetta in Denver, where she assumed the role of Lead Sommelier while earning her Advanced Sommelier credential from the Court of Master Sommeliers. In 2020, Frick became Wine Director at New York’s One White Street, where she remained until joining the Jeb Dunnuck team full-time as the reviewer of note for the wines of Oregon, Sonoma, Champagne, Piedmont, Brunello, and other Italian winegrowing regions.
Recently, I caught up with Frick, who talked Thor, her cats, being in two places at once, and the New York Giants.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Eating and drinking well with my family and friends. If caviar and Champagne are involved, that’s for sure a bonus.
What is your greatest fear?
I’ll know it when I see it, and then I will probably try to make friends with it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I do not have a lot of things. Eating, imbibing, and traveling with my friends and family is as good as it gets, whether it is a three-star Michelin restaurant or street food… though finding a way to combine the two is when I am most happy. Once I have an idea, though, I will go to great lengths to see it through.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
I gravitate towards people who are not afraid of being direct and are true to who they are. If your intentions come from a place of good, it will show.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
See above.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Now that I am reviewing A LOT of wines, with written documentation, this is top of mind. Trying to avoid repetition while also staying true to communicating what is in the glass can be extremely difficult. I’ll let our readers decide what they are, but rest assured, I have already over-thought them. It is a work in progress.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I could be in two places at one time.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I am great at over-thinking. Breathe, and move on. I believe in the power to change in real time.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I like to think I am just getting started and prefer to look forward. For example, I just found out that I will be running the NYC Marathon to support the Lower East Side Girls Club of NYC. That has been a lifelong goal and I am so excited that I get to work on that challenge now.
Where would you like to live?
I am very lucky to already be in the only place I want to live, New York City. It never gets old, and I absolutely love being a tourist in my own city.
What is your most treasured possession?
I would say my two cats, Cacio e Pepe, but let’s be real – they own me.
Who are your heroes in real life?
I believe in surrounding yourself with nothing less. My friends and family are my rock stars and heroes and I like to treat them as such.
Who are your heroes in fiction?
I am a total sucker for the Marvel cinematic universe. Tonight, I am going to go see Thor, so stay tuned.
What are your favorite names?
Cacio and Pepe.
What is it that you most dislike?
The fact that we will always have to fight to protect basic human rights and freedoms. There is no room for being tired or complacent, and when we are, it shows.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I think I am pretty good with staying human. I would love if I came back with a higher VO2 max, but I don’t want to get too picky.
What is your greatest regret?
There is a lot I would do differently if given the chance, but if it were not for those mistakes, I would not be where I am today. So, take it all in, hopefully learn a little, and move on.
How would you like to die?
How ‘bout we don’t? But if I need to go, it would be great if the NY Giants were doing well at the time.
What is your motto?
Though I fully plan on living another 60-70+ more years and have a ton of goals, life can be fragile, and you never know what is around the corner. Be proud of and commit to doing the best you can with wherever you are today.