Marimar Torres has had a life-long relationship with the wine business. Born in Barcelona, Spain, into the Torres wine-making dynasty, she is fluent in six languages, holds a degree in Business and Economics from the University of Barcelona and is also a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program. Moreover, she spent a year studying Enology & Viticulture at the University of California, Davis.

Marimar began her career in the industry by traveling extensively, promoting wines for Biodegas Torres, a Spanish firm founded in 1870. In 1975, she moved to California, where she continued to function as the firm’s export director. During the next ten years, she increased the shipments of Torres wines to the U.S. by a factor of ten, from 15,000 cases to 150,000 cases. Accomplishing this was not easy, as Marimar was faced with the widespread notion that women had no place in the wine business. Her tenacity and business acumen allowed her to overcome this bias, however.

At Marimar Estate Vineyards & Winery, she directs the activities at the winery and in both vineyards — Don Miguel (named after her late father) in the Russian River Valley and Doña Margarita (named after her late mother) in the Sonoma Coast AVA, both in Sonoma County.

In 1986, Marimar began planning the Don Miguel Vineyard. Her first release was a Chardonnay in 1991, and this was followed the next year with the release of her Pinot Noir, using fruit from the Don Miguel Vineyard and the Doña Margarita Vineyard. Both of these varietals are produced from estate-grown grapes.

Marimar's dedication to the wine business does not exclude other pursuits, such as writing books on Spanish cuisine and health, and hobbies such as skiing, horseback riding, jogging, biking, and piano. She lives with her daughter Cristina in the Bay area and also has a home in Stiges, Spain.

Cristina, a member of the fifth generation of the Torres winemaking family, joined Marimar Estate as Director of Sales & Marketing in 2020. This is noteworthy because in the Torres family, the business has been handed down from father to son for five generations; this will be the first time in the family history of passing it from mother to daughter.