Our Team

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WINE

From farming to winemaking to tastings, Dresser is driven by those passionate in wine.

– Dresser winery

We’re a small but mighty team creating and selling 2000 cases of wine each year. Passion drives every part of the Dresser Winery experience and we hope you see that in every bottle and every visit.

Kory Burke, Owner - Winemaker, Chief Puncher Downer

Catherine Burke, Owner, Business Director and Wine Club Director

Kaia Burke, Chief Wine Smeller

Mauricio Rendon, Vineyard Manager

Kory Burke, Owner - Winemaker, Chief Puncher Downer

Kory and his wife, Catherine, are the ownership team of Dresser Winery. While they divvied up the leadership roles at Dresser, Kory was quick to claim “mine” on the winemaking efforts as well as marketing and sales.

He started his career working in sports marketing including time with the Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks and others including serving as the in-between inning guy who chose the in-game contestants (fan of the game, etc.) and also the distinct honor of crashing the Braves Mobile the very first day it arrived to the stadium. After nearly a decade in sports he shifted gears and fell into tech as a strategy and business development person as well as a sales executive for three start up companies including one that was acquired by Adobe where he continued to show no skill or ability to use Photoshop.

In 2016 he and his wife came upon Paso Robles and made a gut decision to buy a fixer-upper which had a small hobby vineyard growing Zinfandel just days before their daughter Kaia was born. With no wine experience other than being great wine drinkers they began their path into their passion, wine. They quickly realized the need to find someone willing to teach them the ropes of everything wine and found Gelfand Vineyards, a boutique vineyard and winery. After learning the magic behind the wines at Gelfand, in 2020 the previous owner expressed interest in stepping back and transitioning the business to the Burke’s where now just the Kory and Catherine Burke run the entire operation. In 2022, the winery and vineyard was renamed to Dresser Winery as an homage to the location of the property, Dresser Ranch. Known for its full-bodied red wines Dresser Winery is fortunate to have a loyal following and has become a Paso staple for those looking for boutique and intimate experiences with award-winning wines.

Kory Burke can be contacted at Kory@DresserWinery.com.

Catherine Burke, Owner, Business Director and Wine Club Director

Catherine serves as the Owner, Business Director and Wine Club Director along with Chief Designer of all things Dresser Winery including the winery experience and the luxury vacation rental, Dresser Winery Estate House. After a successful career working in architecture focused on the design of luxury resorts around the world, she moved into sales for a leading stone distributor providing products to high-end commercial and residential homes on the West Coast. Her passion focuses around the hospitality experience to provide one that is unique and memorable for both the on-site tasting and the Dresser Winery Estate House.

Catherine Burke can be contacted at Catherine@DresserWinery.com.

Kaia Burke, Chief Wine Smeller

Kaia is quite literally the driving force behind Dresser Winery. While also serving in her self-described role of “Chief Wine Smeller” where she approves the smell of all wines at all times, she also likes to wow our guests with her blazing speed as she runs around the tasting spot. Kaia is also the namesake of the Dudley Vineyard Kaia Lee wine we make each year that features a piece of artwork from her creativity for that year’s vintage.

Mauricio Rendon, Vineyard Manager

The veteran of Dresser Winery, Mauricio has been here since our second vintage in 2004 managing all operations for the vineyard and assisting in the winemaking process. In 2021, Mauricio had the distinct honor of being named Vineyard Worker of the Year by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, the governing board for the Paso Robles wine industry. Mauricio’s intimate knowledge and experience with our estate vineyard and how best to ensure its longevity and success is central to Dresser Winery’s growth and success.

Stay in touch

Stay up to date on upcoming wine releases, offers and events. You don’t want to miss out!