Beverage education does not have to be pretentious or complicated. I founded International Beverage Academy to make the world’s most respected wine and spirits qualifications approachable, personal, and worth the money.
IBA is a WSET Approved Programme Provider (APP No. 3168), approved to deliver the WSET Level 1 and Level 2 Awards in Wines and in Spirits. I work from the Pacific Northwest and Florida, and my students study online from across the United States and abroad.
Luis Romero, founder and lead educator
At heart I am a storyteller and an educator. I came to wine the long way: through hospitality floors, a winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, a university classroom, and a writing desk. My job is to take a subject that intimidates people and make it clear, useful, and enjoyable, whether you are pouring for guests, buying for a shop, or simply want to understand what you are drinking.
I hold the WSET Level 3 Awards in Wines and in Spirits and am a WSET certified educator for the Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications in both categories. I am a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, certified through the Cicerone Certification Program, and a Beverage Specialist with the Society of Wine Educators. I am currently studying for the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.
Outside IBA I teach business and hospitality at Highline College in Washington, and previously taught beverage courses at the University of Central Florida, where my wine production and spirits management classes regularly drew around 200 students a term. I write about food and wine for publications including Bon Appétit, Oregon Wine Press, and Plate Magazine, and I hold master’s degrees in Hospitality and Tourism Management and in Creative Writing. I am bilingual in English and Spanish, and live and in-person classes can be taught in either language.
How I teach
- WSET’s Online Classroom, plus a person. Your course content, activities, and a WSET online educator are provided by WSET. I add what an online platform cannot: someone who knows your name, answers the same day, reviews your tasting notes, and gets on Zoom when a concept will not click.
- Tasting that fits your life. I send a prioritized shopping list, suggest retailers near you, and help international students find local equivalents.
- Clear expectations. All-inclusive prices, published resit fees, a firm registration deadline so your login and materials arrive on time, and exam dates agreed with you.
- Results. In the 2025/26 academic year, 100% of my candidates passed their WSET Level 1 and Level 2 exams in Wines and Spirits.
Credentials
- WSET Level 3 Award in Wines; WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits
- WSET Certified Educator, Level 1 and Level 2 Wines and Spirits
- Certified Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers
- Cicerone Certification Program
- Beverage Specialist Certification, Society of Wine Educators
- MS Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Central Florida; MA Creative Writing, University of Denver
- WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines candidate
Want to talk before you choose a course? Email contact@beveragecertified.com or call 407 968 8384.
International Beverage Academy is an independent course provider approved by WSET and is not part of WSET.
International Beverage Academy is a WSET Approved Programme Provider (APP No. 3168), an independent course provider approved by WSET to deliver the WSET Level 1 and Level 2 Awards in Wines and in Spirits. IBA is not part of WSET. WSET courses involve tasting alcoholic beverages; students must be of legal drinking age in their country of residence.