Jan studied chemical engineering at the University of Notre Dame and the University at Buffalo. Graduating with a Master’s in 1970, he took a job with Kodak and got into home wine making in earnest, collecting books and taking classes. He moved to Williamson, NY in 1977 and planted his own vineyard but after about ten years, realized he liked the chemistry part more than the viticulture part and went back to buying juice and grapes from other growers. Over the next 20 years, he received over 30 gold medals in State and National Competitions including Best Hybrid one year and Best of Show another year in the American Wine Society National Competition. He taught home winemaking classes at a number of locations including Finger Lakes Community College and The NYS Wine and Culinary Center. He has judged in the NYS Fair, the Finger Lakes International, and The Great American Wine Competitions. Jan retired from Kodak in 2002 and worked with Herm Young to open Young Sommer Winery in 2008. In 2014, Jan assumed the additional position of making wines for what would become Boom Point Winery. In 2020, Jan moved full time to Boom Point where he is currently Winemaker.