Chikoo Wine and Tribal Art: Just another day in Bordi

Bordi, a quaint town just three hours north of Mumbai, has never really been on the tourist radar. With the famous Western Ghats and the Konkan Belt stealing the show, Maharashtra’s hidden gems have gone unnoticed and unexplored – Bordi being one of them.

A tiny hamlet with a sizeable Parsi community, Bordi is famous locally for its chikoo (sapodilla) plantations that were started by the Zoroastrians who settled in India after World War I. Today, these very plantations are being used to produce Fruzzante, the world’s first ever Chikoo wine!

Fruzzante was created by a father-daughter duo looking for a unique way to use the surplus chikoos growing on their plantations. The best part is that it is manufactured at the Hill Zill Resort in Bordi – just a short drive away from Mumbai.

At the resort, you can take a winery tour, enjoy a wine tasting session, and have a meal with chikoo wine. Other chikoo products such as chips and shake powder are available for sale too.

Note: Do ensure you give the resort a call to check if the winery is open before you head there. Also, the winery has now introduced a Starfruit flavoured wine as well.

Bordi is also home to the indigenous ‘Warli’ tribe of Maharashtra, famous for their tribal art. You can catch a glimpse of the peculiar art form at Jambugaon, residence of well-known Warli artist – Santosh Dodka. Dodka learnt the Warli style of painting from his ancestors and in order to keep the tradition alive, he expects his children to take the dying art forward.

Dodka’s house is hard to miss, with beautiful Warli patterns adorning the outer walls of the village hut. It is a treat to watch him and his wife expertly paint on canvases and envelopes, which can be purchased at extremely reasonable prices. Watching them practice their art is like poetry in motion, and a truly unforgettable experience.

If you’re interested, they are also happy to teach visitors how to paint the ‘Warli’ way. For details, you can contact Santosh Dodka directly at +91 9421626150, or even via the Hill Zill Winery Resort.

How to get there? Bordi is about 3-4 hours away from Mumbai by car. You can either drive down yourself or book a car with driver via Ola Outstation or Savaari.

Where to stay? If you’d like to stay overnight at Bordi, the Hill Zill Winery Resort is located right in the heart of the town, which is also where Fruzzante is manufactured. However, if you’re looking for something more offbeat, you can consider staying at the following places at the outskirts of Bordi: Nest Farm Stay, Save Farm or Cob 5

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