A participant with sohiong from her garden at All Saints’ Hall in Shillong on Friday

Shillong, Sept 22: A black beauty drew thousands of admirers from all over the country and abroad to the Meghalaya capital this week and left them intoxicated at the end of a two-day rendezvous.

Sohiong — the black fruit that grows abundantly in the state and in some parts of eastern Himalayas, and lends itself to some of the best wines in the region — has always drawn aficionados to the state.

At the Shillong Sohiong Fruit Festival, which ended today at the All Saints’ Hall, the wonder fruit kept its promise. The famous sohiong wine is derived from the sohiong fruit (prunus nepalensis), which the local brewers swear by.

But the festival was not just about wines, but the fruit itself. The festival had on display an assortment of products like juice, jam and jelly — all made from the locally-grown fruit.

Despite inclement weather, thousands thronged the festival venue to taste the black fruit. Though Thursday was strictly reserved for “receiving exhibits” for a competition held in two categories — fresh fruits: in bunches (from the same tree), and sohiong products, like jam, squashes, jellies, juices and wines — today the festival was thrown open to visitors.

“I cannot describe how excited I am to be part of this unique festival,” said Parmas D’Souza, a winemaker from Pune.

The festival also sets the mood for winemakers, both professional and amateur, to gear up for the now-famous Shillong Wine Festival, which is held in November.

“The festival aims at creating awareness and educating people about this unique indigenous fruit of our region,” said Manirul Islam Sarkar, minister for horticulture, after inaugurating the festival.

The horticulture department, which organised the festival, claimed that the event has “made a huge difference” in promoting tourism in Meghalaya. “A large number of people who came were tourists and that is very encouraging,” said Danny Sangliene, district horticulture officer.