Napa winery cultivates hope

Winemaker Budge Brown is on a mission -- to find a cure for breast cancer and he’s doing it one bottle at a time.

“This whole Cleavage Creek wine operation is not about me,” Brown said. “It’s about honoring and supporting the women with breast cancer and to provide information so they can take charge of their own illness.”

Brown lost his wife of 48 years, Arlene, to breast cancer three years ago. This personal battle against the disease began shortly after when he envisioned a wine with labels picturing breast cancer survivors. He took his battle one step farther -- he also donates 10 percent of the gross price of every bottle for cancer research.

Brown, who grows his grapes in Pope Valley, bought the Cleavage Creek label two years ago and has been trying to overcome the sexual overtones.

A San Joaquin Valley native and businessman, Brown has been raising grapes, farming row and tree crops for 30 years. The wines – Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Sirah, Cabernet Syrah, Chardonnay, Secret Red and Secret White are bottled at the family-owned Tulip Hill Winery in Nice (Lake County). They range in price from $18 to $50. He plans to bottle 1,600 cases this harvest.

Oh yes, his entrepreneurial spirit extends beyond farming – in the 1970s, he also invented the waterslide, the first one was in Manteca and the newest one is in New Zealand.

“Each of the women pictured on the labels are cancer survivors. We wanted a special, inner spirit and how they used their illness to make a positive difference,” Brown said. “Many of our models have foundations, donated art for to fight breast cancer. In short, it’s not what’s upfront, it’s what’s inside.”

They are not paid but they are entertained, pampered with spa treatments, hair and makeup experts and photographed by a professional. This is an opportunity for the women to bond with other survivors and share their personal stories. It’s like a sisterhood of survivors.

Each woman’s story, there will be six this year, is told on the vineyard website: www.cleavagecreek.com.

“I sell the wine to generate cash to go where I want it to go and that is fighting breast cancer,” he said. “The spirit of Cleavage Creek is ‘Live to Love Life’.”