Archie McLaren Receives Prestigious Appointment To Vintners Hall of Fame

La Vita Fresca would like to congratulate Archie McLaren on his induction to the 2011 Vintners Hall of Fame Board of Stewards.

Archie McLaren has been a trailblazer in California’s fine cuisine and wine movement since establishing residence here in 1974, so this is not the first prestigious induction for Mr. McLaren. He is one of only two Americans inducted into the Austrian Wine Brotherhood and one of the few Americans inducted into France’s Commanderie des Bontemps – Medoc et Graves & Sauternes et Barsac of Bordeaux. He is a member of  several esteemed organizations such: the Vintner’s Club of San Francisco, the Wine & Food Society of San Francisco, the San Francisco Chapter of the Cofrerie de Chevaliers du Tastevin, and the Marin County Chapter of the International Wine & Food Society. McLaren has served as the Chairman and Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo Vintners & Growers Association and the Paso Robles Westside Grand Cru.

So besides stating the obvious, that we love fine food & wine and worship people like McLaren, what does this really mean to you and me? Why is it important that Archie McLaren is the founding Bailli of the Central Coast Chapter of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, the world’s oldest international gastronomic society among many other things and why do we care?  Because Archie McLaren has the influence to make people sit up and take notice of important causes and providing scholarships for students in the culinary arts field by organizations, such as the aforementioned Chaine des Rotisseurs, is only one example.

You see, the beautiful thing about Archie is that all of these honors and inductions are not in vain — Archie McLaren pays it forward.  He is one of five individuals that make up the Foundation Board Members of The Central Coast Wine Classic, a non-profit corporation established in 2004. This foundation raises money to fund grants supporting  the healing arts, studio arts and performing arts for non-profit organization from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.  Since the Foundation’s inception, it has funded grants for 76 non-profit organization totaling $1,615,943.00. Their annual event, the Central Coast Wine Classic is so impressive and important that even the discriminating The Wine Spectator sponsors it – not an easy feat. Next year, Avila Beach will host the Central Coast Wine Classic from July 7 – 10. Tickets must be purchased far in advance because this is a greatly anticipated and well attended event for wine enthusiasts across the globe. (http://www.centralcoastwineclassic.org/events.php).

So not only does La Vita Fresca congratulate Archie McLaren on receiving the prestigious appointment to the 2011 Vintners Hall of Fame Board of Stewards but we want to thank him for using his passion to give others the opportunity to develop their art so that one day they can share it with the rest of the world.

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others”. Pericles

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