Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars
From high in the Cascades, the melted snow becomes part of the Skagit River flowing by the lovely burg of Concrete (solid name!) on its way to the Puget Sound. It’s quiet here. Green with fresh air. It’s not where you would expect 13+ acres of pinot noir growing. For that reason, many a traveler along the North Cascade Highway will make an unexpected detour to check out Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars located just north of Highway 20 on Challenger Road.
In the grape growing world, “growing degree days (GDD)” is a measure of heat units and at an average of 2050 GDDs, Challenger Ridge’s south facing slope provides just-right conditions for growing pinot noir (clones 777, 667, 115 and 828). That’s plenty of fruit for winemaker Randy Bonaventura to craft award-winning pinot at the relatively new production facility on the property. Grapes sourced from the Columbia Valley become part of the remaining red and white portfolio of 3,000 cases produced annually by Randy and his team.
The tasting room itself is a charmingly restored early 1900 farmhouse where visitors can enjoy a glass of wine ensconced in leather chairs. Throughout the year, they sponsor events whether to celebrate the release of red wines in the fall or white wines in the spring, host a Corvette car rally, carve pumpkins and more. The bocce court and sprawling grounds including the vineyards invite visitor to explore and stay awhile.
For those that want to get a taste of Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Winery without making the trek to Concrete, their Woodinville tasting room located south of the Hollywood Schoolhouse is a perfect solution. There, for a refundable tasting fee, you can sip and swirl their full-line up of wines including pinot gris, viognier, Liberty Bell (a classic Bordeaux blend of Semillon and sauvignon blanc), Mystic (white and red blends), syrah, Gordon Bordeaux red blend and, of course the aforementioned pinot noir.
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Order the book!
Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Skagit County WineTrail on page 38!
WineTrail: Skagit County WineTrail
Owner: Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars, (7 partners)
Winemaker: Randy Bonaventura
Opened: 2000
Tasting Room: Open to the public
Amenities: Gift Shop, Picnic Area, Tasting Room, Wine Club, Mailing List and Facebook, Twitter.
Where To Buy: Winery, secured web site and select wine shops
Phone: 360-853-7360
Website: www.challengerridge.com
Official Winery Rep/Owner: Information Change? Click Here
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Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars
Winery/Tasting Room
43095 Challenger Road, Concrete, WA 98237-9416 -121.798744 48.543367Hours: Saturday and Sunday 11–5
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Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars
Satellite tasting room
14344 Woodinville Redmond Road NE, Woodinville, WA 98072 -122.1383119999999991 47.730854000000000781Hours: Thursday and Sunday: 12 to 5; Friday and Saturday 12 to 6
Directions: From I-5 take exit 232 (north of Burlington). Go east to US-20. Approximately 25 miles to Milepost 85. Before Concrete turn onto Challenger Rd. Proceed to Challenger Ridge Winery at 43095 Challenger Rd.

