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JAY YOUMANS HAS been tasting wine professionally for nearly 30 years. Now the Educational Director and Owner of the Capital Wine School in Washington, D.C., as well as the Owner of sales and marketing consultancy Rock Creek Wine Merchants, Youmans has served as a wine judge for numerous wine competitions and has con - tributed to several books and magazines. Over the years, Youmans has conducted hundreds of public, private, and corporate wine tasting events. An Advanced Somme- lier and Certified Wine Educator (CWE), he's also one of just two Masters of Wine in the Washington, D.C. area. Youmans will make an appearance as a speaker at SommCon in Washington, D.C., set for July 22–24. For schedule and registration details, visit sommconusa.com. As the Founder of Capital Wine School, you no doubt see a lot of diversity in the student body. Have you seen any recent changes or shifts within the industry that you feel may have future impact? There is a trend among wine professionals to gain as many high-level certifications as possible in order to build their CVs, and I believe this is elevating the caliber of the entire wine industry. Many of our students, however, are not in the wine business; they simply want to gain a deeper understand - ing of wine. There are a lot of options out there for certification and con- tinuing education. How do you help stu- dents understand and navigate which p ath is best for their career? There is no single "best path" through wine education. I often suggest that students try several education programs to build their wine knowledge and tast - ing skills. Whether you are looking at programs through the Court of Master Sommeliers, Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Wine Scholar Guild, or Society of Wine Educators, each program has its strengths and weaknesses, but wine credentials are not a substitute for work experience. What influence do you think on - line resources such as wine apps will have on how a sommelier hones their skills? Online learning, webinars, and wine apps have certainly changed the way people ac - cess content. This has allowed our instruc- tors to spend more time on tasting wines in class and has also changed how students study for theory exams. In the future, you will see more apps aimed at preparing candidates for tasting exams. For example, the WSET has a wonderful phone app for making Level III tasting notes. You will be presenting at SommCon in Washington, D.C., in July on a number of topics, including the iconic wines of Virginia. What do you think will surprise sommeliers and beverage directors who are unfamiliar with the region? They will be surprised at the high qual - ity of the wines being produced and the diversity of grapes being grown there. You have five minutes and one glass of wine. What are you drinking and who are you with? I would drink a glass of 2002 Bollinger R.D. Extra Brut Champagne with my wife. The Tasting Panel and The SOMM Journal are proud to serve as the media sponsors of SommCon D.C. (July 22–24) and SommCon San Diego (Novermber 14–16). 38 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2018 Master of Wine Jay Youmans Jay Youmans, MW, is the Educational Director and Owner of the Capital Wine School in Washington, D.C. Name: Jay Youmans, MW Company: Capital Wine School Credentials: Master of Wine, Advanced Sommelier, Certified Wine Educator, Certified Specialist of Spirits, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, Certified Bourgogne Wine Educator, and Certified Bordeaux Educator by Michelle Metter Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: [