Torres was one of 30 nominees selected by a panel of 10 global judges for making an outstanding contribution to the wine industry over the past decade. The awards were created to mark the 10th anniversary of the founding of Wine Intelligence, which is now a global organisation working in 20 countries.

The nominees included other leading Spanish-based wine industry figures, including Pablo Álvarez, director general of Bodegas Vega Sicilia; and Rafael del Rey, director of the Observatorio Español del Mercado de Vino.

Other winners included Su Birch, chief executive of Wines of South Africa; Tim Atkin MW, wine journalist; Chester Osborn, chief winemaker and owner of d'Arenberg; Sir George Fistonich of Villa Maria Estate; Etienne Hugel of Hugel & Fils; Li Demei of the Beijing Agricultural College; Eduardo Guilisasti of Concha y Toro; Eric LeVine, founder of Cellartracker; and, most recently, Ross Brown of Brown Brothers at last month's Wine Industry Outlook Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

Torres said: "I am extremely proud and honoured, and I thank the Wine Intelligence team and the jury very much for this Business Award. I of course appreciate that my name is on the award, but I am happy that it is our company name at the same time."

He said the company is the result of many years of hard work and teamwork involving its 1,300 employees and members of the family.

The award is an original piece of art conceived by Polish artist Anna Kus Park, who has created 10 distinctive paintings – one for each winner.