On a foggy morning in late March, I met Melaney Schmidt, co-owner of Landmass Wines, at the winery’s newly renovated tasting room in the former Crewel Summer Plant Shop space at 4727 NE Fremont. The tasting room is at the back of the courtyard on the north side of Fremont.
Melaney and her partner in life and business, Malia Myers, were originally from the LA area. Then a working vacation for research led them to Illahe Vineyards in Dallas, Ore. That experience provided the spark for the duo to pull up stakes in California and begin anew, making wine in Oregon.
The pair have been producing their unique wines — mostly sparkling and whites, targeted to a younger, casual clientele — for about seven years. As their sales volume grew, they moved their operations from various rental production spaces in the Willamette Valley to their own production facility in Cascade Locks. The Landmass name pays homage to their sourcing of various grapes from southern Oregon, the Willamette Valley, and the Columbia Gorge.
After a series of Sunday afternoon pop-up tasting events in the plant shop in 2024, the opportunity for a full-time tasting room evolved when Kate Wood, co-owner of Crewel and the adjacent Wonderly, decided to get out of the plant business to focus on the restaurant.
Over the last few months, the naturally lit space has been renovated with long bench seating that was custom made by Malia, tables borrowed from Kate, and the installation of a kitchenette area. Landmass will offer a small menu of dips, olives, focaccia made by Red Sauce Pizza, and a seasonal soup.
Melany expressed the duo’s excitement at opening in the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood. “It’s truly community focused,” she said, “and community is at the heart of everything Landmass does.”
While there were a few cleanup and decorating tasks to complete as of our press deadline, Landmass Wines hoped — contingent on last-minute licensing — to open no later than mid-May, with hours of operation from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday through Monday. For more information, visit landmasswines.com or @landmasswines on Instagram.
John Sandie relocated from the Midwest with his wife Kathy to be closer to children and grandchildren in the area, landing on Fremont Street in B-W in early 2011. In retirement they pursue their desires to make a difference locally, John by volunteering with the neighborhood association, Kathy with Alameda School. The duo is contentedly busy volunteering and keeping up with grandchildren.