Our Instructors
![Caroline B. C. Hermann](/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/caroline.jpg" "Caroline B. C. Hermann")
Jay Youmans has been tasting wine professionally for nearly 30 years. He is the Educational Director and Owner of the Capital Wine School; and the Owner of Rock Creek Wine Merchants, a sales and marketing consultancy. Jay has served as a wine judge for numerous wine competitions and has contributed to several books and magazines on wine. Over the years, he has conducted hundreds of public, private, and corporate wine tasting events. Jay is an Advanced Level Sommelier (AS), a Certified Wine Educator (CWE), a French Wine Scholar (FWS), an Italian Wine Professional (IWP), a Bordeaux Wine Educator, a Burgundy Wine Educator, a Certified Specialist of Sherry, and Washington, DC’s first Master of Wine (MW).
Based in Washington D.C., Caroline is the import-export program manager for wine, beer, and spirits in the US Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). She began her tenure with TTB as assistant director of wine labelling and has since worked regularly with producers, importers, distributors, and customs brokers to ensure compliance with US alcohol beverage law. Prior to joining TTB, Caroline was a federal enforcement attorney for over a decade in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Civil Enforcement. She has also served as general counsel to an environmental non-profit organisation and worked as a litigation associate in private practice. Caroline began her wine journey in 2005, working in retail wine sales while pursuing her studies with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Now a certified WSET instructor, Caroline teaches wine industry professionals at the Capital Wine School. She has consulted for wineries, trained restaurant wine and beverage staff, and judged wine competitions. In her MW research paper, Caroline analyzed legal, demographic, and economic factors of importing wine to strategically target revenue streams in the current marketplace.
Local wine and spirits consultant from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Kasia has loved wine since she studied abroad in France, at which point she was exposed to the “best wines in the world” according to her host family–French wine! Luckily, she already had some experience in the restaurant world, and upon her return to the states, she continued to grow and develop as a wine enthusiast and wine professional. In the more recent years, she managed a winery in the developing wine region of Virginia, worked as a Sommelier of a luxury resort, and continued to spend her free time learning about (and teaching about) wine through the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) at the Capital Wine School. She is a WSET Certified Educator and a Diploma (Level 4) Graduate.
Joshua Grainer is the winemaker and technical director for RdV Vineyards in Delaplane, Virginia. He found his love of wine as undergraduate and decided to pursue a career in winegrowing. Joshua has since worked in vineyards and cellars in the US, France and Australia. He has more than 15 years of experience in the wine industry with an emphasis on winemaking, viticulture, quality control, winery management, sales and marketing. He achieved his Master of Wine in 2023 and holds a Diploma from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.
Aileen Sevier is Director of Marketing – Upper Left at Winebow with a focus on building appreciation for prestigious, family-owned wineries in Washington and Oregon. Aileen found her love of wine working in restaurants in college and has since worked in multiple tiers of the industry, always with a focus on distinctive, family-owned properties. She directed a multi-unit beverage program in Boston and handled marketing and strategy for a global portfolio of luxury wineries at US importer, Terlato Wines. She also helped advance the Virginia wine industry while running sales, marketing and business strategy for Early Mountain in Madison, Virginia. She has more than 15 years of experience in the wine industry with a focus on brand building and sales & marketing strategy, and has visited dozens of wine regions in her studies and career. She holds a Diploma from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust and is currently a Stage 2 Practical Only student in the Masters of Wine program.
Claudia is a Regional Sales Manager for the Mid-Atlantic for Jackson Family Wines. She is a native Kentuckian who was captivated by people, travel and culture at a young age. She was drawn to wine & spirits as a means to link all of her interests into one. Having lived abroad in both Germany and Spain, she travels whenever she gets the chance and enjoys connecting with people around the globe. After graduating from the University of South Carolina, she spent 4 years in the E&J Gallo sales program, working in both on and off premise wine distribution sales in North Carolina and DC. She then pivoted to spirits where she was the On Premise Sales Manager for Heaven Hill in Virginia before coming to JFW. Claudia holds the WSET Diploma in Wines, WSET Level 3 in Spirits, CWE and CSE from the Society of Wine Educators, and is an Advanced Sommelier with CMS. She is a WSET certified instructor for both wine & spirits and a Stage 2 student in the Master of Wine program.
Nataliya Georgieva is the owner of Bohemish LLC, a wine export and distribution company. She first became interested in wine while living in Paris on an exchange program, after which she began her Masters in Winemaking/Enology, and participated in harvests in Marlborough, New Zealand and Clare Valley, Australia.
Julie is the Wine Education Director at Echelon Wine Bar in Leesburg, VA. She was born and raised in Seattle, surrounded by what was then a burgeoning wine industry. During a 26-year-career with the Federal Government, she lived and worked internationally, gaining an appreciation for the wine and cuisine of various regions of the world, and she continues to enhance her wine studies through travel to various wine regions. Julie oversaw large-scale government training and development programs, and now combines her background in adult education with a passion for wine. She holds a Level 3 certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), is an Italian Wine Scholar, a French Wine Scholar, and an American Wine Expert.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Capital Wine School is located at 5207 Wisconsin Ave – Suites #7 and #8, Washington, DC 20015. When you enter the building from Wisconsin Ave, go up a small flight of stairs and down the hallway past the dance/yoga studios. A doorway to another flight of stairs will be on the left side just before a set of exit doors. Go up these stairs, and Capital Wine School classrooms will be in rooms #7 and #8.
You can reach Capital Wine School by phone at 202-792-5020 or by email at: info@capitalwineschool.com
The Capital Wine School is conveniently located near the Friendship Heights Metro Station on the Red Line.
Paid parking is available in lots located at Jennifer St and 43rd St; Jennifer St and Wisconsin Ave (in the building with Michael’s and Booeymonger); and between Garrison St and Harrison St (behind Rodman’s Discount). There is limited 2-hour free street parking in the surrounding neighborhood, and metered 2-hour parking on 43rd St. You may wish to use a parking app like Spot Hero to locate and reserve a parking spot in advance.
Advance payment is required for all classes and programs. You can pay through the website using MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover. If a class or course begins in less than one week, all payments must be by credit card. All registrations to pay by check/money order for a class or course that begins in less than one week will automatically be canceled.
If the class or course for which you are registering does not begin in less than one week, you may choose to pay by check or money order. Checks and money orders should be made payable to “The Capital Wine School” and mailed to The Capital Wine School, c/o Jay Youmans, 9600 Parkwood Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814. Payment must be received within one week of registration. If payment is not received within this time period, the registration will automatically be canceled.
PLEASE NOTE THAT UNPAID REGISTRATIONS ARE AUTOMATICALLY REMOVED FROM OUR SYSTEM. IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID FOR YOUR REGISTRATION, THEN YOUR SEAT CANNOT BE RESERVED. PLEASE EMAIL INFO@CAPITALWINESCHOOL.COM IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE IN MAKING A PAYMENT OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.
Refund, Cancellation, and Rescheduling Policy
GENERAL POLICY
The administrative fee for cancellation requests made at least 10 days prior to the class or course start date is $35.00 per ticket/registration. After this time, full payment is forfeited, and no refunds are possible. If you wish to reschedule, you may do so for no charge if your request is made at least 10 days prior to the class or course start date. The administrative fee for requests to reschedule made 2-9 days before a class or course start date is $35.00 per ticket/registration. Rescheduling is not possible within 48 hours of a class or course start date, although you are welcome to transfer your ticket/registration to another person if desired (email info@capitalwineschool.com to request). There is absolutely no rescheduling of a course once it has begun.
*On occasion, Capital Wine School will offer a class or course for which the general policy does not apply. In those instances, the registration page for the class or course will reflect the modified policy for that specific event.
Please note the following exceptions to the above policy for WSET courses:
WSET courses are not transferable to another person.
WSET Intensive courses are subject to different cancellation/reschedule fees and deadlines; details can be found in the individual course descriptions.
For all WSET Online Self-paced courses, any request to reschedule or cancel must be received at least 15 business days before the course start date; rescheduling or cancelling is not possible after this time.
The administrative fee for cancelling a WSET Level 3 course, or a WSET Diploma Unit D1 or D3 course, is as follows:
– WSET Level 3 – $75.00
– WSET Diploma Unit D1 – $300.00
– WSET Diploma Unit D3 – $500.00
WSET EXAMS
Please view the following document for WSET Exam rescheduling deadlines and fees: WSET Exams Rescheduling Deadlines & Fees.
CWS Cancellations
In the event the Capital Wine School cancels a class or course, registered participants will have the option to transfer to another class or course; receive a full credit towards a future class or course; or receive a full refund.
We are able to offer online, remotely invigilated exams for WSET Levels 1 and 2. All other exams must be taken in person at the Capital Wine School. Students who are interested in taking an online, remotely invigilated exam should review the following document to decide if this method of exam delivery is appropriate for them: RI-Candidate Information
The building in which the Capital Wine School is located does not have an elevator and is not handicap accessible; our classrooms are on the second floor and can only be reached via stairs. Individuals who are unable to climb stairs but would still like to take a class or course with us are encouraged to register for one of our online classes or courses.
Policies
Students can make a complaint to the Capital Wine School at any time. Should you wish to submit a complaint, please email info@capitalwineschool.com. Please include your name, phone number, class attended, and full details regarding the complaint. We guarantee your complaint will remain confidential and that it will not affect your status or outcome as a WSET student. We will respond to your email within 3 working days and the incident will be addressed within 7-10 days. If your complaint is not handled to your satisfaction within 7-10 days, please email Jay Youmans MW directly at jay@capitalwineschool.com. If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction following these steps, you may contact the WSET’s Governance Department at governance@wsetglobal.com.
Both WSET and the Capital Wine School want to make WSET assessments accessible for all students, so none are at an advantage or disadvantage based on a disability or differing ability. This policy and the reasonable adjustment process allows the Capital Wine School to work with each student before an assessment,gather the information needed to submit a request to WSET, and work with WSET to make arrangements that give students equitable access to WSET qualifications.
A reasonable adjustment is any accommodation or arrangement that helps to reduce the effect of a known disability or difficulty that substantially disadvantages a student’s assessment. The use of a reasonable adjustment does not impact WSET’s marking or the result of the candidate’s exam. The goal of reasonable adjustments is to equalise access for candidates – they must not give unfair advantage to candidates receiving the adjustment or affect the reliability and validity of the assessment outcomes as detailed in the applicable Specification. WSET cannot agree to reasonable adjustments where the candidate’s particular difficulty directly affects performance necessary to complete the assessment outcomes (e.g., if a student cannot taste for a Level 3 Exam where tasting is necessary).
Examples of reasonable adjustments include:
– Changing standard assessment arrangements, for example allowing candidates extra time
to complete the assessment activity
– Adapting assessment materials, such as providing materials in large text format
– Reorganising the assessment room, such as removal of visual stimuli for an autistic candidate
The Capital Wine School will gather the information needed from students to submit a Reasonable Adjustment Application form to WSET. WSET must approve and arrange reasonable adjustments before the assessment activity takes place. Before completing enrolment, the Capital Wine School will give all students
access to this policy and the chance to identify any special needs that could require a reasonable adjustment. If a student identifies a special need, the Capital Wine School will give the student the Reasonable Adjustment Application form as soon as possible and work with the student to gather the necessary
information.
For any student seeking a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Capital Wine School at info@capitalwineschool.com with
– Full name
– Contact information
– Description of the special need, disability, or differing ability that requires an adjustment
– Supporting documentation
Students must submit this information at least 30 days before the exam date for Level 1-3 qualifications and at least 60 days before the exam date for Level 4 Diploma. The information students submit will be shared with WSET and will be handled under WSET’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy. The Capital Wine School will keep records of all reasonable adjustment applications.
At the Capital Wine School, we are committed to fostering an environment of equity, inclusion, and respect for all individuals. We believe that diversity in background, identity, and experience enhances our community and strengthens our ability to achieve our mission. We strive to create an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to contribute fully. Our commitment to equity ensures that all individuals, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, ability, or socioeconomic background, have access to the same opportunities and resources. We actively work to eliminate barriers and promote fairness in our policies, practices, and interactions, ensuring a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.
Special consideration is any adjustment given to a student who has temporarily experienced an illness or injury, or other event outside of their control at the time of the exam, that significantly affects their ability to take the exam or their ability to show their knowledge and understanding in the assessment. Special consideration is only for things that happen immediately before or during an exam that have a material impact on the student’s ability to take the exam or on their performance. To be eligible for special consideration, students must have completed the whole course and would have been fully prepared if not for temporary illness, injury, or another uncontrollable event. A special consideration may be for an individual (e.g. a student becomes ill on the day of the exam) or a group of students (e.g. an exam is interrupted by a natural disaster).
Students may be eligible for special consideration if:
– Their performance on the exam is adversely affected by an event outside of their control.This may include temporary illness, temporary injury, bereavement, or exam room conditions
– Reasonable adjustments which were agreed to in advance of the exam proved to be inappropriate or inadequate
– The application of special consideration would not make a passing result and certificate misleading about the student’s ability to satisfy the qualification’s assessment criteria
Applying for special consideration
If at student has taken an exam, or their exam is quickly approaching, and they feel that they have a temporary injury or illness, or other uncontrollable event that has interfered with their ability to complete the exam, they should please contact the Capital Wine School at info@capitalwineschool.com as soon as possible.
The Capital Wine School will provide them with a Special Consideration Application Form, which must be completed and returned with supporting documentation within 7 days after the affected exam. The information a student submits will be shared with WSET and will be handled under WSET’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy. If there has been a serious disruption during an exam affecting a group of students, the Capital Wine School will submit a detailed report of the circumstances and candidates affected to WSET to request special consideration. The Capital Wine School will keep records of all applications for special consideration.
policy and works to safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications and promote confidence in WSET and the Capital Wine School processes and procedures.
This policy applies to all Capital Wine School staff and students and to any individual acting on behalf of the Capital Wine School. A Conflict of Interest exists where an individual has interests or loyalties that could adversely influence their judgement, objectivity, or loyalty to WSET or the Capital Wine School when conducting activities associated with WSET qualifications.
Examples of Conflicts of Interest include:
– The assessment of candidates by an individual who has a personal interest in the result of the assessment for any or all individuals concerned
– The undertaking of a WSET qualification by any individual employed by an APP
– The invigilation of a WSET assessment by any individual involved in the delivery of training leading to the assessment
– The coaching of candidates by any individual involved in the assessment of candidate scripts
– The employment by an APP of individuals engaged in the delivery of taught programmes or in the role of Internal Assessor in another APP
– The investigation of a non-compliance incident by someone who is unable to act impartially
Some of these Conflicts of Interest are manageable and therefore acceptable. For example, if a family member of one of the Capital Wine School’s educators or APP staff takes a qualification and exam through the Capital Wine School, or when an employee of , or of the WSET, takes a WSET qualification through the Capital Wine School, the Capital Wine School must notify WSET in advance and then work with WSET to put in place measures to maintain the integrity of the exam. Some Conflicts of Interest are not manageable and are not acceptable. For example, no mitigation efforts can overcome the conflict created when a single individual serves as the educator and exam officer of an exam for a family member where an external invigilator is not available. Any staff member or student of the Capital Wine School who becomes aware of a Conflict of Interest must inform Kirstyn Kralovec by email at kirstyn@capitalwineschool.com, who will inform the WSET of the possible conflict of interest and will work with WSET to put any protective or mitigating measures in place to manage the conflict on a case-by-case basis. If WSET and the Capital Wine School decide that the conflict is not manageable, Kirstyn Kralovec will inform any impacted APP staff or students. Please note that the failure to declare a conflict of interest may have consequences for the student or Capital Wine School because it is required to report such conflicts to WSET.
framework for both the Capital Wine School and students to identify, report, and manage potential malpractice or maladministration. Non-compliance with the Capital Wine School or WSET Policies and Procedures can fall into two distinct, but related, categories:
1. Maladministration, where the non-compliance is generally unintentional, or the result of mistakes, carelessness, inexperience, or poor processes
2. Malpractice, where the non-compliance is intentional or the result of a negligent or reckless action without consideration of the consequences of the action
Context is important, and the line between maladministration or malpractice is not always clear. For example, maladministration incidents may become malpractice (e.g. if a party fails to implement corrective measures, repeats the same or a similar incident, or attempts to misrepresent or hide information during an investigation), or there may be mitigating factors that turn potential malpractice into maladministration. Though malpractice and maladministration are distinct concepts, they can shade into one another. Malpractice and maladministration are always case, context, and fact specific. Both APPs and students can commit malpractice and maladministration.There are many ways that malpractice or maladministration could occur, including new ways which WSET and the Capital Wine School have not yet seen. Some examples of malpractice or maladministration include:
For APPs:
– Failure to adhere to WSET Policies and Procedures
– Failure to follow WSET’s candidate registration and certification procedures
– Late student registrations
– Fraudulent claim for certificates/fraudulent use of certificates/reproduction or forgery of certificates
– Withholding critical information from WSET quality assurance
– Insecure storage of exam materials
– Revealing or sharing confidential exam materials with candidates ahead of an exam
– Intentional attempts to manipulate exam results so that they do not reflect the candidate’s actual exam performance
– Issue of incorrect exam results/failure to issue results to students promptly
– Failure to promptly respond to WSET
– Unauthorized reading/amendment/copying/distribution of exam papers
– Failure to report changes in APP ownership/personnel/location/facilities
– Denying WSET access to information, documentation, workforce, or facilities
– Failure to return exam papers within the specified time limit or to follow delivery and tracking regulations
– Infringements of WSET copyright, trademarks, intellectual property rights, and brand identity
– Use of unqualified and/or unregistered educators or internal assessors
– Breach of confidentiality
– Misleading advertising/publicity
– Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect
– Failure to disclose a Conflict of Interest
For students:
– Cheating, or facilitating cheating, including the use of unauthorised devices or materials
– Disruptive behaviour in an exam
– Plagiarism of any nature by students
– Impersonation (including forgery of signatures)
– Unauthorised reading/amendment/copying/distribution of exam papers
– Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect
– Breach of confidentiality
In general, the Capital Wine School also expects that both Capital Wine School staff and students will treat others and be treated professionally and respectfully at all times. The Capital Wine School will treat inappropriate behaviour, including verbal or physical abuse, persistent or unrealistic demands, or threats that cause stress to staff, as misconduct and may report such student misconduct to WSET as necessary
