The Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation established in 2004. Foundation Board members are Stephanie Harkness of Santa Cruz, James Hathaway of San Luis Obispo, Alfred Griffith of San Luis Obispo, Carissa Chappellet of Big Sur and Archie McLaren of Avila Beach. The Foundation awards monies from the Central Coast Wine Classic, held in San Simeon, Paso Robles, Templeton, San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Avila Beach and Shell Beach the second weekend in July, to fund grants on specific projects for non-profits from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties whose purposes and missions involve the studio arts, the performing arts and the healing arts. Grants are awarded in the Fall following that year's Wine Classic. Beneficiaries are determined by early January preceding that year's Wine Classic. Over the past seven years the Foundation has conferred grants totaling $1,615,943 to 76 such non-profits.

For 2011, the Wine Classic Foundation Board has chosen the following beneficiaries: Avila Beach Civic Association, The Center for Nanomedicine in Santa Barbara, Coast Caregiver Resource Center in Santa Barbara, Friends of Hapitok in San Luis Obispo, Friends of the Atascadero Martin Polin Library, Friends of the Visual Arts & Design Academy in Santa Barbara, The Link Teens at Work Program in Atascadero & San Miguel, Loaves & Fishes in Paso Robles, North County Rape Crisis & Child Protection Center in Lompoc & Santa Maria, Northern Chumash Cultural Preservation Kinship in San Luis Obispo, Poetic Justice Project in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara Master Chorale, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, The Sexual Assault Recovery & Protection Program of SLO County in San Luis Obispo, United Cerebral Palsy in San Luis Obispo and Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care in Santa Barbara.

The Wine Classic was able to provide substantive grants in 2004 to the San Luis Obispo Aids Support Network; San Luis Obispo Special Olympics; the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara; San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara Public Radio KCBX and the Rhythmic Arts Project, centered in Ventura. Grants conferred in the first year of the new Foundation totaled $126,500.

In 2005, grants were conferred upon Hospice of San Luis Obispo County; the Santa Barbara County Bowl Foundation; Partnership for the Children of San Luis Obispo County; the Clark Center Association in Arroyo Grande; the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council; the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Surgical Eye Expeditions in Santa Barbara and the Fund for Vineyard & Farm Workers, founded by Brian and Johnine Talley of Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande. Grants conferred during the Foundation's second year of granting totaled $195,000.

The Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation's Board of Directors chose as the beneficiaries of the 2006 Wine Classic, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival; the San Luis Obispo Art Center; the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo; Big Brothers & Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County; Tree of Life Pregnancy Support Center of San Luis Obispo County; Hospice Partners of the Central Coast; Pacific Repertory Opera; the John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts in Santa Barbara; Community Counseling Center of San Luis Obispo, Caring Callers of San Luis Obispo County and the Wellness Community of the Central Coast, founded by Justin & Deborah Baldwin of Justin Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles. Foundation grants for 2006 totaled $203,000.

The Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation chose as beneficiaries of the 2007 Wine Classic Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Central Coast Center for Arts Education, Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens, Children's Health Initiative, Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo, Enhancement Health & Wellness, Opera Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Chamber Orchestra, San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts/International Choral Festival, University of California at Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, San Luis Obispo Children's Museum, San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra and Transitional Food & Shelter. The 2007 Wine Classic Fund-A-Need Auction Lot benefitted Options Family of Services. Due to a most successful Auction, grants totaling $315,000 were awarded.

For 2008, the Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation Board of Directors gifted the following beneficiaries grants totaling just over $225,000, including a record-breaking $82,500 to the French Hospital Hearst Cancer Resource Center from the Annual Fund-A-Need Auction Lot: Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County, Atascadero Loaves & Fishes, Cal Poly Arts, El Camino Homeless Organization, PCPA Theaterfest, Project Angels Bearing Gifts, San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra, San Luis Obispo YMCA, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts, and Tierra Sagrada, The Sacred Earth Foundation.

For 2009, the Board gifted grants totaling $205,025 to the following beneficiaries: Community Youth Performing Arts Center of Santa Barbara; Foodbank of Santa Barbara County; Foundation for the Performing Arts Center of San Luis Obispo; Friends of Prado Day Center in San Luis Obispo; Friendship Adult Day Care Center of Santa Barbara; Gatehelp, Inc./Gryphon Society in Atascadero; Public Radio KCBX San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara Counties; Los Padres Forest Watch of Santa Barbara; Morro Bay High School Band; Paderewski Festival of Paso Robles; Santa Maria Philharmonic Society; Senior Volunteer Services of San Luis Obispo and Transitions Mental Health Association of San Luis Obispo. The total includes $67,500 from the Annual Fund-A-Need Auction Lot to fund Respite Care for the Central Coast Alzheimer's Association.

For 2010, the Board conferred grants to the following beneficiaries: Adelaida Historical Foundation, Paso Robles; Ballet Theatre San Luis Obispo; Cognitive Fitness & Innovative Therapies, Santa Barbara; Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County Adult Day Services Program, San Luis Obispo; Court Appointed Special Advocates of San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo; Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, Paso Robles; God's Haven for Children, San Luis Obispo; Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter, San Luis Obispo; North County Dance & Performing Arts Foundation, Paso Robles; Pacific Wildlife Care, Morro Bay; San Luis Obispo County Historical Society, San Luis Obispo; Studios on the Park, Paso Robles; United Cerebral Palsy Work, Inc, Santa Barbara. The Annual Fund-A-Need Auction Lot inured to the benefit of the Senior Nutrition Program of San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo. Total grants for these worthy nonprofits totaled $245,918 for 2010. Over the past seven years the Foundation has conferred grants totaling $1,615,943 to 76 such non-profits.

Archie McLaren has been involved in an array of activities on the Central Coast of California since his arrival here in 1974 to represent legal publisher West Publishing Company. Originally assigned to Nevada and Central California, and later to Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii, he became the Administrator of International Marketing for The Orient for West, representing the company in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. He retired from West Publishing Company in 1990.

During that time and following, he became no stranger to the world of fine cuisine and rare wine. He is the founding Bailli of the Central Coast Chapter of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, a member of the Vintners' Club of San Francisco, the Wine & Food Society of San Francisco, the San Francisco Chapter of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and the Marin County Chapter of the International Wine & Food Society. He is the former Cellarmaster of the Avila Bay Wine Society and the former President of the Central Coast Wine Society.

Archie has served as Chairman/Executive Director of both the San Luis Obispo Vintners & Growers Association and the Paso Robles Westside Grand Crew. He is one of only two Americans inducted into the Austrian Wine Brotherhood, and one of the few Americans inducted into the Commanderie des Bontemps - Medoc et Graves & Sauternes et Barsac of Bordeaux in France.

Archie has long been associated with charitable wine auctions. Not only did he serve for many years as the American Institute of Wine & Food's Rare & Fine Wine and Auction Consultant, he also served as a Director on its National Board. He is the Founder & Chairman of the Central Coast Wine Classic, held in high esteem as a prestigious and comprehensive food and wine event, held each year in July and in its twenty-sixth year, which boasts Wine Spectator among its many significant sponsors. Several years ago, Archie received a San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau Annual Tourism Award for his conception and presentation of the Wine Classic.

With revenues exceeding $1,000,000, the Central Coast Wine Classic is one of America's most successful charity wine auctions. The Wine Classic not only promotes the wine, culinary and hospitality industries, it also confers substantive proceeds (Over $1,600,000 to 76 non-profits in the past seven years of the new Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation) upon a continually expanding number of healing, performing and studio arts organizations on the Central Coast of California, specifically in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

Archie has assisted in launching charity auctions in Washington, D.C., Honolulu, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Mendocino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara. His partner in life, Carissa Chappellet, an owner of Chappellet Winery in the Napa Valley and the winery's Legal Director & Ambassador, and he have served as Chairs of the WYES Public Television Auction in New Orleans and are frequent donors to charitable wine auctions throughout the United States.

In addition, with Brian Talley, he co-founded the extremely popular World of Pinot Noir. In 2007, he directed and was the auctioneer for the Pinot Plus Auction, the Carneros Wine Alliance's inaugural Carneros Appellation wine and lifestyle tasting and auction, and, although he does not consider himself to be an even remotely functional auctioneer, was auctioneer for the 2007 and 2008 Lake County California Wine Auctions.

Archie is frequently invited to attend tastings of rare and collectible wines throughout the country and has participated in comprehensive vertical tastings of Chateaux d'Yquem, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Cos d'Estournel, Leoville Las Cases and Cheval Blanc, as well as La Tache, Hermitage La Chapelle, Penfolds Grange, Vega Sicilia Unico, and Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve, among a number of others. A long-time Champagne aficionado who has attended many tastings of rare Champagnes (In 1972, "Soul Man" songwriter David Porter turned him on to better sparkling wine than he was drinking at the time, and when Archie moved to California, he took it from there!), he was Founder and Director of the International Festival of Methode Champenoise.

On San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara Public Radio KCBX, Archie hosted a fine wine program, the Wine Drinker's Guide to Indulgence for twenty-three years (He continues to host an occasional show), and has been a writer on fine wine for Adventure's in Dining, the San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune, New Times and Santa Barbara Magazine.

His education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University, a Juris Doctor of Law degree from the University of Memphis, and post-graduate studies in Humanities, English Literature and International Marketing at various universities. He continues to study a variety of subjects, including recently the Evolution of Language, the theories behind the Classical Western European Musical tradition, World Geology and various Cultural Anthropological subjects.

Archie McLaren is involved in an array of civic activities, both in the arts and in the community in general. He has received the San Luis Obispo Visitors & Convention Bureau's Annual Tourism Award. He has twice served as the President of the Board of Directors of the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival and as a member of the Board of Directors of the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council.

He served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Avila Beach Water District and the Chairman of the Avila Beach Front Street Enhancement Committee that designed the promenade and park for the rejuvenation of the community of Avila Beach after the discovery and mitigation of the Unocal Oil environmental damage, and for many years was Chairman of the committee that approves new projects for Avila Beach prior to their being approved at the county level.

In order to rebalance the energy and restore the vitality to the community of Avila Beach, a town that was physically and psychologically ripped apart by the Unocal mitigation, he presented Avila Drum Day, a rhythmic happening that was designed to heal the community's collective psyche. World-renowned percussionists such as Airto Moreira, Walfredo Reyes and Richie Gajate Garcia donated their time and stunning musical abilities to the event. Archie has recently begun a novel on the subject of Rhythm and Harmonics and their various attributes and complexities.

His many accomplishments over the years he has lived in California have resulted in his inclusion in Who's Who in Media & Communications, Who's Who in the West, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. He was recently honored by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors for his Civic and Charitable Contributions to the citizens of San Luis Obispo County.

Archie McLaren and writer, painter, photographer, musician, adventurer, Carissa Chappellet, co-owner and Director of the venerable and highly regarded Chappellet Winery on Pritchard Hill in the Napa Valley), live in Avila Beach, Big Sur, and St. Helena, California, where they enjoy hiking, road bicycling (Carissa has cycled in 42 countries) and a variety of water (Carissa was a highly competitive swimmer) and court sports (Archie no longer plays tennis competitively but won the Las Vegas Open Handball Tournament at the age of 38 and now plays racquetball), as well as raiding their wine cellars for special occasions with family and friends.