Bibiana González Rave is naturally full of energy, almost twinkling with joy over her many passions: family, Sonoma wines and her new Shared Notes coffee, imported from her native Colombia. It helps, she laughs, that she loves coffee from her home country, sipping up to 10 cups a day.
“Colombia is one of the leading producers of very high quality coffee in the world, and that’s what we drink all the time,” says Rave. “When I grew up there, it was very common for you to just show up at your friend’s house, knock on the door, and there was always a coffee maker to brew.”
At Rave’s winery and coffee roastery in Rohnert Park, she points to a giant slab of redwood, slated to be turned into a communal table for a possible cafe, where she’ll serve a full slate of French press coffee made from the single farm -sourced beans. For now, customers can buy Shared Notes coffee at the winery and online.
Rave recommends customers take advantage of the “soft” coffee. This means made with a filter and poured over it or strained, rather than espresso style under pressure. Soft brews, she explains, allow you to appreciate the nuances of fine, medium-roast beans — “cherry, cocoa, caramel, citrus, sweet acidity…unburnt, bitter beans like so many dark-roast American coffees.” .
Rave, who oversees three different labels including Cattleya Wines, Alma from Cattleya and Shared Notes, says adding coffee to the mix was a natural evolution. “Coffee is actually very similar to wine in many ways,” she explains. “It’s really an expression of terroir, so all coffees from all countries are really different, and like wine, quality is measured by acidity.” The name Shared Notes salutes the collaboration between Rave and her husband, Jeff Pisoni of Pisoni Vineyards.
How does the winegrower make the most of her vacation? Rave and Pisoni, who have two young sons, celebrate by opening their home for a traditional Colombian celebration, Little Candles Day, December 7. “I started this tradition here in Sonoma, where we light thousands of candles in our backyard. ,” she says. “That’s how we start Christmas in Colombia, and it’s so beautiful. Everyone lighting candles together brings this incredible love and energy.
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