When she was 16 years old, even though she had been born in Cuba, and was a recent Barcelona transplant, my mother was chosen as La Reina de la Vendimia in Sitges Spain. As Queen of the Wine Harvest, she pressed the season’s first grapes, drank the first juice, and ceremoniously guaranteed the success of the 1968 vintage. Never one to seek the spotlight, I think she was surprised to be selected for this ceremony, but my mother has always been frighteningly mature, fantastically beautiful, and courageous. She looks like the perfect choice to me. #reinadelavendimia #sitges #queen