Level 3 - Sommelier
Online tutored certification course
Who should take this course?
We have restaurant, bar owners, brand owners, tequila consultants, tour operators and tequila tasting organizers in the ranks of our Tequila Sommeliers. If you want to become a true professional at the top of your game and willing to put the hard work and energy that is required to become a tequila sommelier, then we recommend you take the complete course. If your goal is to simply get certified, take our Certification in Tequila Course instead.
- Online with 1 on 1 tutoring
- Depending on prior experience, it takes 16-40 hours to complete
- Level 2 exam pass is a prerequisite
- Price: $1049

What our graduated Tequila Sommeliers say
Shawn Miller – Co-Founder, PKGD Group
Keegan Smith – VP Southern Africa, ITA
Nick Goodnow – Beer Manager, Banks Wines and Spirits
Victoria Tolonen – Founder, La Calaca
ITA
The program
This course focuses on understanding the difference between tequila brands, labels. As there are way over a 1000 tequila brands on the market, understanding them is no easy task. It is the task of the tequila sommeliers to understand the differences between producers, the regions, marketing strategies, product values so they can give professional recommendations to their clients or make better decisions themselves when purchasing tequila.
Sommeliers learn to navigate between commercial brands, private labels, special editions, single barrels, diffused tequilas and understand what average consumers and connoisseurs look for when choosing tequila.
Completion of Level 2 Examination.
Research based essay
Students get a lifetime access to the study materials.
Successful candidates will be required to study at your own time.
Upon successful course and exam completion, the participant can download their certificate online.
Bartenders, Sommeliers, Brand Owners, Brand Ambassadors, Tequila Importers, Tequila Distributors, Tequila Professionals, Bloggers, Enthusiasts.
- Introduction to Tequila from a business perspective - consumer segments, authentic and smooth tequilas.
- Understanding the business - producer size, capacity, maquila, cost, adulteration etc.
- Inhouse vs private label tequila - the difference between contract labels and labels owned by the distillery
- Private label vs special edition - how to create a tequila brand or a special edition tequila
- Single barrel tequilas - as a unique special edition tequila, what it means and what is its real value
- Craft Tequilas - how to identify them and why is it important?
- Special signs logos - what do the different logos like USDA and certified kosher mean
- Celebrity tequilas - what are they and how to treat them?
- Marketing self-designations
- Taste profiling - authentic vs smooth, blended vs single distillery, terroir, production methods, additives
Your Educator

Adam Fodor
Founder/CEO
Adam is the president of ITA. He has a masters degree in economy and holds several International and Mexican spirits/tequila related certifications. He is the author of several books and articles about tequila, special consultant of several interesting projects – the process designer of the special Siempre Exclusivo Vivo and Alma Del Jaguar blanco tequilas. Last and most importantly, he is an experienced tequila sommelier having organized over 700 tasting events to over 3000 guests throughout his career.
Features
Learn about tequila in a fun way

The International Tequila Academy is the best school you can attend to learn about Tequila.The material is very well written and it goes into great depth on the history of Tequila and equips you with everything you would ever need to know about Tequila. The classes are enjoyable to take and you can go at your own pace. I would highly recommend this to anyone who works in the Tequila industry or just has a passion for Tequila.
Brandon Ceccardi, California, US