Meet the Team

Great wine starts with good fruit.

Great tastings start with good people.

Kimberly drake

co-founder, Chief introvert, wine maker

Kimberly first got hooked on wine while living in Chile as a college student. While practicing law in the Washington, DC area and having three children Kimberly snuck in wine tastings, travels to international wine regions, a WSET program and some home winemaking. Over the years, her passion for great wine grew and eventually, she and Kirk decided to take the adventure of a lifetime, leaving the east coast with their 3 young children and moving to Southern Oregon to follow their shared dream of making great wine.

Kimberly’s experience as a winemaker started by making wine in our basement in northern Virginia. It was drinkable. In Oregon, she has worked with the winemaking teams at 2Hawk Vineyard & Winery and Barrel 42 Custom Winecraft while studying chemistry at Oregon State University and completing a Winemaking certificate program from the UC Davis Continuing & Professional Education Program.

Kirk drake

co-founder, Chief Extrovert

Kirk is a lifelong entrepreneur, author and has created multiple successful businesses, starting with founding a high school bank. After many years living in the Washington DC area, it was time for a change.



In 2016, Kirk moved to Southern Oregon with his wife and 3 children so that Kimberly could pursue her passion (great wine). The move was a lifelong dream to focus on a better work-life balance and embark on a family adventure! Kirk still runs his businesses, www.ongoingoperations.com, www.cu-2.com, and others from Southern Oregon while learning the wine business.

And the adventure continues! Kirk often dons his farmer’s hat, working on the land in Ashland where their estate grapes are grown. Unfortunately, Kirk is a lousy farmer, so they have never used their estate fruit but instead buy grapes from lots of Rogue Valley vineyards!

lin stone

Sommelier, Tasting Room Manager, Event Coordinator

Lin is a passionate upcoming Sommelier in the Rogue Valley. They grew up on Mount Hood, Oregon studying classical ballet, acting and they fell in love with the service industry and fine dining early on while growing up on Mount Hood, Oregon. After moving to Ashland to study Environmental Science and Policy at Southern Oregon University, they were able to dig into their passion for Viticulture, Geology, Soil Sciences and Wildfire Ecology.

Throughout their career, Lin has held various positions in tasting rooms, restaurants and retail shops including Cocorico, Resistance Wine Company, Irvine and Roberts and built lasting community connections during their time working in Development at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Everyday they help us create meaningful tasting experiences that are accessible for everyone. 

Lin is now taking a unique route through their sommelier exams by focusing their studies on terroir around the world and in the Rogue Valley. Don't ask them about rocks unless you're ready to have a 30 minute conversation about sandy loam.

As a passionate advocate for Queer visibility and inclusion in our industry, Lin strives to create a more welcoming and equitable space for all in the wine world.

CHRIS MCKEAN

O.H.B, EVENT COORDINATOR, TASTING AMBASSADOR

Chris made his move from the SF Bay Area 13 years ago—and quickly planted deep roots in this community he now proudly calls home. His love for wine started long before he joined us at Resistance, thanks to a father with serious wine knowledge (and an equally serious cellar to match).

Chris is a proud dad of three and a brand-new grandpa—his grandson just turned one on 11/4, and he’ll happily show you photos if you ask. Over the years, he’s poured a lot of heart into this town, spending several seasons coaching AHS Varsity Baseball and a couple more with the SOU softball program.

He’s a people person through and through—drawn to good conversation, great wine, craft cocktails, and any excuse to cook for friends. When it comes to favorites, our 2018 Malbec and 2024 Chenin Blanc have completely stolen his heart.

Outside the tasting room, you’ll probably find Chris surrounded by records. He’s a devoted vinyl collector and a music-sharing evangelist who gets genuine joy from bringing folks together through concerts, events, and whatever he’s spinning next.

Chris started his journey with Resistance a little over a year ago, and he hasn’t looked back. He loves advocating for the wines we’re crafting, helping build a brand with intention, and—most of all—working alongside the “super rad” team that makes RWC what it is.