Larry Stone: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Larry Stone of Lingua Franca. In this interview, Larry takes us through his journey to where he is today: moving from developing a passion for food and wine from a very young age, to his chemistry background, to his work in the humanities, to becoming the best sommelier in the world, and later becoming a Master sommelier. Larry’s knowledge of food and wine takes him to describing the various places that he worked at, the accomplishments that he has had in the wine world and restaurant business, to the process of coming to Oregon and starting Lingua Franca. Towards the end of the interview, Larry speaks about his decision in choosing what to plant and farm organically, building the brand of Lingua Franca with the goal of accurately reflecting place within each wine and creating world peace through wine to bring people together. To conclude, Larry touches on the future for Lingua Franca, offers advice for people looking to pursue their dreams, the future for the Oregon Wine Industry, and what he’s most proud of thus far. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Lingua Franca on August 8, 2019.