Basque Culinary Center

Máster en Sumillería e Innovación en el Mundo Líquido

It is primarily aimed at the following profiles:

Sommeliers and wine and beverage professionals

• Professionals who wish to evolve or expand their area of specialisation.
• Active sommeliers or those in the process of professionalisation who want to update their knowledge, deepen their understanding of emerging trends and lead innovative beverage proposals in restaurants, wineries or specialist retail.

Professionals responsible for gastronomic experiences with a beverage focus or related roles

• Maîtres d’hôtel, head waiters, chefs and Food & Beverage managers who wish to strategically integrate wine and other beverages as a high-value element of the gastronomic experience.

Beverage sector professionals seeking differentiation and innovation

• Mixologists, baristas, brand ambassadors, consultants and other liquid-world specialists who wish to acquire advanced tools to design, communicate and commercialise innovative proposals within the horeca channel.

Entrepreneurs and developers of new gastronomic and beverage concepts

• Individuals with their own projects or in development phases who aim to create or consolidate businesses linked to sommellerie, cocktail culture or specialised distribution, with a contemporary, sustainable and experience-driven approach.

Graduates in Gastronomy, Hospitality or related disciplines

• Graduates who wish to develop their professional career within the liquid world.

• Understand the wine value chain in depth, from vineyard cultivation and winemaking processes to aging, commercialization, and distribution across various channels.
• Identify and characterize the main types of wines and other beverages, including white, red, sparkling, natural, spirits, and beers, recognizing their regions of origin and distinctive attributes at an international level.
• Develop advanced sensory skills for professional tasting, applying organoleptic analysis techniques to wine and other beverages to carry out accurate and well-founded evaluations.
• Manage wine-related processes and services in diverse professional contexts, from wine list design and cellar management to table service, sales techniques, and food & wine pairing in gastronomic or commercial environments.
• Design and implement effective marketing and sales strategies, selecting appropriate markets and channels and developing promotional actions for both national and international markets.

Sommelier Services and Cellar Management

• Sommelier in restaurants and gastronomic spaces, leading cellar operations and delivering specialized service.
• Cellar manager, designing pairing proposals and enhancing the guest experience in hospitality settings.

Wine Management and Commercialization

• Sales technician in the wine sector, developing sales and distribution strategies for national and international markets.
• Marketing manager in wineries or wine companies, designing product positioning and communication campaigns.
• Wine business manager, coordinating operations, commercial development, and relationships with distributors or Horeca channels.

Specialized Consulting

• Wine consultant, advising wineries, wine shops, or gastronomic projects on product selection, service, and commercialization.
• Technical advisor in wine products, contributing to product portfolio development and commercial strategy design.

MODULE 1: SENSORY ANALYSIS AND ADVANCED TASTING

This module explores consumer sensory perception to understand drinking preferences and delves into the foundations and methodologies of sensory analysis for interpreting, describing and evaluating beverages. It also covers different types of tastings, enhancing perceptual skills through the senses. Finally, students develop specialised vocabulary and are encouraged to create their own expressive language to convey the full sensory experience.

1. Sensory analysis methodology and consumer studies

2. Scientific foundations of sensory behaviour

3. Tasting systems and techniques

• Tasting methodology
• Advanced tasting

4. Sensory calibration and development of tasting skills

• Practical calibration exercises
• Development of a personal tasting system

5. Construction of a sensory vocabulary

MODULE 2: THE CONTEMPORARY LIQUID WORLD

This module is fully dedicated to the contemporary liquid universe. From a renewed perspective on beverages, it examines raw materials and production techniques, breaking down their composition and key characteristics. Topics include history, production processes, typologies and styles, explored through both theoretical and practical approaches, including tastings and professional visits.

The module offers an integral, holistic and expanded vision of the liquid world as it relates to gastronomy today.

1. Raw materials: fruits I – grapes

• Vine cultivation (viticulture)
• Wine (fermented)
• Wine-based spirits (cognac, armagnac, brandy, etc.)
• Grape-based spirits (grappa, orujo, etc.)

2. Raw materials: fruits II – apples and others

• Apple (cider and calvados)
• Pear (perry and eau-de-vie)
• Plum (artisan beverages and slivovitz)
• Cherry (kriek and kirsch)
• Stone fruits and dried fruits (apricot, fig, quince, etc.)
• Tropical fruits (pineapple, guava, mango, passion fruit, etc.)
• Other fruits (blackcurrant, raspberry, blueberry, etc.)

3. Raw materials: cereals

• Cultivation and processing of cereals (barley, wheat, rye, rice, etc.)
• Cereal-based fermented beverages (beer and sake)
• Cereal-based spirits (vodka, gin, whisky, etc.)
• Cereal macerations and NoLo beverages

4. Raw materials: plants

• Cultivation and processing of useful plants (agave, sugar cane, yucca, etc.)
• Plant-based fermented beverages (pulque and cauim)
• Plant-based distilled beverages (rum, cachaça, tequila, etc.)
• Plant-based NoLo beverages (coffee, tea, infusions and kombucha)

5. Other liquid categories

• Gourmet natural juices

MODULE 3: THE ROLE OF THE SOMMELIER – CREATION AND EVOLUTION

This module provides a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the sommelier’s role. From its historical origins to its function in contemporary gastronomy, it analyses the gastronomic value of the sommelier, their interaction within the restaurant ecosystem, their contribution to service and their potential as experience creators.

Key themes include personal branding, professional excellence, team leadership and international references, fostering the development of a strong, distinctive professional identity aligned with current market demands.

• Origin and transformation of the sommelier’s role
• Identity, competencies and gastronomic value
• The restaurant as a gastronomic ecosystem
• Contextualisation, definition and classification of restaurants
• Understanding the restaurant as a living organism: kitchen, dining room, cellar and guest
• Teams: roles, functions, appearance and dynamics
• Service organisation: flows, hierarchies and collaborative protocols
• Advanced mise en place for beverages and pairings
• Service and its phases
• Global sommellerie: new beverages, formats and consumption contexts
• Trends in liquid sustainability: km0, biodynamic, NoLo, etc.
• Self-awareness workshop
• Personal branding, gastronomic positioning and professional visibility (networks, competitions, community and media)
• Leadership and team management workshop
• Liquid pathways: lifelong learning, experiences, travel and networking

MODULE 4: 360° MANAGEMENT OF THE BEVERAGE OFFER AND CELLAR

This module is designed to develop a strategic and operational vision of the beverage department. It covers key areas such as customer psychology, consumption behaviour, trends, profitability, logistics, suppliers and legislation, alongside marketing, communication and sales techniques.

Students are trained to select, structure and present beverage lists with commercial, aesthetic and gastronomic criteria, as well as to manage a cellar, including concepts such as rotation and conservation. The module also incorporates digital tools, financial analysis and training in liquid consultancy, preparing professionals for leadership and management roles in complex gastronomic environments.

• Customer insight: market, psychology and consumption
• Cellar finance, operations and legislation
• Financial performance and profitability of the beverage department
• Inventory management, storage and rotation of wines and beverages
• Suppliers, purchasing and strategic negotiation
• Legislation and regulations applied to the liquid world
• Selecting, displaying and selling beverages
• Designing an attractive and balanced beverage list: selection criteria, structure and design
• Digital marketing applied to the beverage sector
• Sales techniques and communication in service
• Communication, dissemination and training in the liquid world
• Multilingual communication for the sommelier
• Strategic consultancy and communication

MODULE 5: ADVANCED TECHNICAL SOMMELLERIE

This module integrates the essential technical skills required for the practical execution of innovative, high-level sommellerie. It covers mixology techniques, beverage formulation and refinement, liquid concept design, gastronomic pairings and advanced service.

The module addresses hygiene, safety, creativity, service for different customer profiles and the aesthetic coherence of beverage presentation. Through practical workshops—such as beverage creation, pairing methodologies and service excellence—students are prepared to operate in all types of contexts, including demanding, creative and avant-garde environments.

• Cocktail-making and beverage formulation and development techniques
• History and evolution of cocktail culture and sommellerie
• Technical foundations of classical and contemporary mixology
• Current techniques in modern and creative cocktail-making
• Balance, refinement and beverage preparation
• Design and creation of liquid proposals
• Methodology for creating beverages and experiences
• Design for different customer profiles, menus and consumption moments
• Key variables: ingredients, health, physicochemistry, costs and taste
• Food hygiene and safety regulations applied to beverages
• Practical production: mocktails, fermented drinks, macerations and infusions
• Pairing: theory and practice
• Fundamentals of pairing
• Classification and typologies
• Gastronomic trends in the use of beverages and pairings
• Practical methodology
• Serving and presentation: from classic to innovative
• Sommelier tools: typology, maintenance and specialised use
• Advanced service techniques
• Operational protocols according to beverage type, service style or customer
• Trends and excellence in the service of wines, sparkling wines, cocktails and beverages
• Aesthetics and technique in beverage presentation in the dining room

MODULE 6: MASTER’S FINAL PROJECT

The Master’s Final Project aims to apply, in an integrated manner, the knowledge acquired throughout the programme through the development of an individual project focused on the liquid domain.

Throughout the process, students will be supported by a tutor who will guide them in planning and executing the project.

MODULE 7: CURRICULAR INTERNSHIPS

Internships may be carried out in both national and international companies. Students will receive guidance from the programme coordinator to evaluate options and align expectations.

Please note that internships require a full-time commitment of three months. Candidates with a senior professional profile may validate the internship through prior professional experience.

WSET LEVEL 3

The WSET Level 3 module is delivered over two weeks in April, on campus at Basque Culinary Center. However, theoretical content and study hours will have already been covered throughout the other modules of the Master’s programme. As a result, a significant portion of the 70 hours required to prepare for the certification will already be completed.

WSET Level 3 Award in Wines is an advanced qualification designed for those seeking to deepen their understanding of wine. It is aimed at industry professionals and experienced enthusiasts, offering an in-depth analysis of the factors influencing the style, quality and price of the world’s major still, sparkling and fortified wines.

To maximise the learning experience and prepare confidently for the examination, students will receive exclusive materials upon enrolment, including a study textbook and a workbook for recording tasting notes from the 76 wines explored during the course. Between 70 and 100 hours of additional self-study are recommended.

Students will also have access to the learning platform, which provides complementary resources and continuous tutor support. Two optional Zoom sessions are included to refine tasting skills and support exam preparation.

Upon successful completion, participants will be able to accurately describe the characteristics of the world’s key wines, evaluate them professionally and apply their knowledge to make well-founded recommendations and selections in any professional context.