Based in Newport Beach, California, Tara Allyson Presta has owned and operated several businesses during her career. She managed operations at Alkobar Liquor in Palm Desert, California, before selling the business and opening Balport Liquor in Newport Beach. Before her work in the wine and spirits industry, Tara Allyson Presta owned and operated a Ramada Inn in Grand Junction, Colorado. The full-service hotel had a staff of over 180 employees. She sold the business in 1992. She gained additional hotel experience as the owner and operator of The Inn in Rock Springs, Wyoming, a full-service hotel with a 500-set serving bar. She also sold The Inn in 1992.

Away from her work as a business owner, she maintains a diversity of interests. She enjoys leading a physically active lifestyle that includes cycling, playing tennis, and working out at the gym. She also paints and plays the piano.

Tara Presta studied accounting at Spokane Falls College. She holds an advanced degree in accounting, as well as degrees in computer sciences and mathematics from Eastern Washington University.