“Something special happened the day we dug our first vineyard dam,” Taylors/Wakefield Wines notes of the tiny fossilized seahorses that were unearthed during that early project of the Clare Valley, Australia winery. “It was a discovery that showed the promise of the land and its fertile soils.”

That discovery provided inspiration for the iconic three-seahorse logo of Wakefield (known as Taylors Wines in Australia). The winery’s value-packed Promised Land series goes a step further, with its labels featuring a single white seahorse on a colourful seabed background.

It’s not just a marketing gimmick, though. Wakefield, in partnership with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), has launched SeaBnB as part of its mission to save the White’s Seahorse from extinction.

The White’s seahorse is currently the only seahorse classified as endangered. Its natural home, the seagrass Posidonia Australis, is declining at such a rapid rate that they have nowhere to live. And that’s where the SeaBnB fundraising initiative comes into play. Monies raised will provide temporary homes for their underwater friends, while SIMS researchers get to work helping to restore their natural seagrass habitat in Sydney Harbour.

To kickstart the project, Wakefield has donated $10,000. If you’d like to donate or learn more about the initiative, visit Seabnb.com.au.

And if you’d like to enjoy a pair of well-priced reds during your research, consider the two below.

 

Wakefield Promised Land Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 — South Australia ($14.60 on sale for $12.60 until June 20)
Seems a little leaner in body than recent vintages, as well as more fruit-forward, with sour cherry leading the way and blackcurrants providing back up. There’s a light herbal/cedary sprinkling to the nose. In the mouth, the body is medium+, the tannins fairly soft for a Cabernet. Give it a half-hour in the fridge before serving to bring out those secondary herbal aromas. Solid value as usual from the Promised Land series. 87

Wakefield Promised Land Shiraz 2019 — South Australia ($14.60)
A soft Shiraz with hints of chocolate and oak and juicy red fruit carrying the primary weight to both the nose and the palate. With only a brief time spent on America oak, there’s not the traditional heft and bite you might expect from Aussie Shiraz, but it’s an easy-drinking, silky medium-bodied red to be sure. Good value. Serve it slightly chilled. 87