Groot Constantia

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Cachet: The cachet on this cover is understated, built almost entirely from typography and a single line drawing. A large gold foil "GC" monogram dominates the centre, flanked by the dates "1791" and "1981" running vertically to mark the two centuries since the wine cellar's completion. To the left a fine architectural line drawing shows the cellar's pediment and gabled facade, with its arched doors and windows sketched in careful detail. The bilingual heading "Wine Cellar / Wynkelder" sits above the title "Groot Constantia" in bold black type. The postmark, used at both cancellation points, depicts the cellar's distinctive curved gable in miniature, reading "Groot Constantia" above "Cape Town Kaapstad" and the date.

Info card

DIE WYNKELDER, GROOT CONSTANTIA Die historiese wynkelder op die Groot Constantia-landgoed is deur Hendrik Cloete opgerig en is in 1791 voltooi. Ofskoon daar geen bewys voor bestaan nie, word die ontwerp van die kelder, met sy tipies neoklassieke voorkoms, aan Louis Michel Thibault (1750-1815) toegeskryf. Die geweldriehoek bokant die hoofingang vorm die omlysting vir 'n beeldhouwerk in hoogreliëf deur Anton Anreith (1754-1822). Gedurende die agtiende en negentiende eeu het die Constantia-wyne wêreldberoemd geword en verwysings daarna kom voor in die werke van Baudelaire, Balzac, Klopstock, Jane Austen en Anthony Trollope. Die wynkelder is tot 1980 vir óf die maak óf die veroudering van wyn gebruik, maar is onlangs omskep in 'n verkooplokaal vir die wyne, wat nog steeds op die landgoed gemaak word. Dit word ook vir verskillende sosiale en kulturele aktiwiteite gebruik. Die oorspronklike kantoor van die Cloete-familie aan die agterkant van die kelder is gerestoureer, terwyl die gedeelte wat ongeveer 80 jaar gelede agter aangebou is, nou as 'n museum vir drinkgerei ingerig is. THE WINE CELLAR, GROOT CONSTANTIA The historic wine cellar on the Groot Constantia estate was built by Hendrik Cloete and was completed in 1791. Although there is no proof, the design of the cellar, with its typical Neo-classical features, is attributed to Louis Michel Thibault (1750-1815). The pediment over the main entrance is the framework for a sculpture in high relief by Anton Anreith (1754-1822). During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Constantia wines became internationally renowned. Mention is made of them in the work of Baudelaire, Balzac, Klopstock, Jane Austen and Anthony Trollope. Until 1980 the cellar was used for either the production or the maturation of wine, but recently it has been converted into a sales area for the wines, which are still being produced on the estate. It is also used for various social and cultural activities. The original office of the Cloete family at the far end of the cellar has been restored, while the extension that was added to the back about 80 years ago has been adapted to serve as a museum for drinking vessels.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 1 October 1981 in Cape Town. It carries the RSA 5c stamp from the 1961 to 1981 issue marking twenty years since South Africa became a republic, showing portraits of the country's four state presidents over that period. The Groot Constantia wine cellar itself turned 190 years old in 1981, having been completed in 1791 under Hendrik Cloete on an estate whose wines once drew mentions from writers including Balzac and Jane Austen.

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