The Twenty-Fifth Annual Central Coast Wine Classic will be held Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12. The schedule of events will be available in October.

The 2007 Central Coast Wine Classic reached and topped the holy grail of charity wine auctions by gaveling over one million dollars in auction bids, thereby placing the annual food and wine extravaganza among the top such auctions in America. The comprehensive food, wine and lifestyle event featured a broad spectrum of activities, including Dinner at Hearst Castle and multiple fine wine-oriented educational symposia, luncheons and winery dinners. The 2008 Twenty-Fourth Annual Central Coast Wine Classic intends to be equally comprehensive and hopefully just as successful. The Schedule follows, and it will be updated from time to time to provide more details as they are solidified.

The 2008 Central Coast Wine Classic is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, July 10 through 13. The annual Black-Tie Dinner at Hearst Castle will be held Thursday, July 10, and the rare & Fine Wine & Lifestyle Auction will be held at the Host Auction Venue, the Avila Beach Resort, in Avila Beach on Saturday, July 12.

Experience the beauty and diversity of California's Central Coast! Participate in the 2007 Twenty-Third Annual Central Coast Wine Classic. Browse this website for our calendar of events, auction details and volunteer opportunities.

Thanks to the generous support of our donors and auction patrons, under the auspices of the Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation, formed in 2004, 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 and San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara Public Radio KCBX, with the annual Fund-A-Need Auction Lot benefitting 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 and Surgical Eye Expeditions in Santa Barbara, with the Fund-A-Need Auction Lot inuring to benefit of 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.

For 2006, the Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation's Board of Directors funded grants for 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 and Caring Callers of San Luis Obispo County. The Wellness Community of the Central Coast's facility in Paso Robles, founded by Justin & Deborah Baldwin of Justin Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles, was the recipient of the Fund-A-Need Auction Lot. Foundation grants for 2006 totaled $203,000.

Beneficiaries of grants from the 2007 Wine Classic included the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Central Coast Center for Arts Education, the Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens, Children's Health Initiative, Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo, Enhancement Health & Wellness, Opera Santa Barbara, San Luis 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 Wine Classic Fund-A-Need Auction Lot was designated for Options Family of Services. The lot raised $86,250, which will be used by Options for creating an arts program for persons with developmental disabilities and persons who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. "This result is a testament to the altruism of our patrons," states Wine Classic Founder & Chairman, Archie McLaren. "The overwhelming majority of these funds was contributed by patrons from outside the Central Coast area, many from other states. It shows quite clearly the quality of individual that the Wine Classic is bringing to the Central Coast."

The total amount of grant funds conferred from the past four years has totaled $839,500.

For 2008, the Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation Board of Directors has chosen the following beneficiaries:

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, & Tierra Sagrada, The Sacred Earth Foundation. The Annual Fund-A-Need Auction Lot will inure to the benefit of French Hospital Medical Center's Hearst Cancer Resource Center.

"The Foundation Board is very gratified with the breadth of beneficiaries for this year's Wine Classic," indicates Chairman Archie McLaren. "This is the most diverse array of beneficiaries that we have attempted to gift, and we are very excited about the prospect of working with such extraordinarily worthwhile organizations to assist them in making their goals a reality."

The Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation Board consists of Stephanie Harkness of Santa Cruz, James Hathaway of San Luis Obispo, Fred Griffith of San Luis Obispo, Carissa Chappellet of Big Sur and Napa, and Archie McLaren of Avila Beach and Napa. The Board confers grant funds in October following each Wine Classic.

The Central Coast Wine Classic, also a substantive showcase for the wine, culinary and hospitality industries, is sponsored by Wine Spectator, American Airlines, First Bank, Chevron/Molycorp Corporation, Wells Fargo Bank and various patrons. The Grand Sponsor is Peter T. Paul Financial/Peter Paul Wines/Headlands Foundation. The Auction Catalog Sponsor is Daniel Encell.

Please see the Foundation Page for grant criteria.

For more information, contact Archie McLaren at (805) 544-1285 or archie@slonet.org.