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Dessert wine Crossword Clue

  //food-wine.news-articles.net/content/2025/09/25/dessert-wine-crossword-clue.html
  Published in Food and Wine on Thursday, September 25th 2025 at 9:40 GMT by USA Today
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The Sweet Spot of Crosswords: Why “Dessert Wine” Is the Clue That Keeps Wine‑Lovers Guessing

In the September 25, 2025 issue of USA Today, readers were greeted by a puzzle that combined their love of both wordplay and wine: a crossword clue that pointed to the answer “DESSERT WINE.” While at first glance it might seem like a straightforward fill‑in‑the‑blank, the puzzle’s author managed to turn a simple phrase into a flavorful brain‑teaser that drew in wine enthusiasts, crossword veterans, and casual solvers alike.

1. The Puzzle’s Context

The crossword in question appeared in USA Today’s “Daily Crossword” section, a staple of American newspapers for decades. The puzzle, like many of its daily editions, blended a handful of theme clues with a mix of easy, medium, and hard fill‑ins. The “dessert wine” clue was part of a mini‑theme that highlighted sweet, dessert‑style wines—a subtle nod to the rise of boutique winemakers and the growing public fascination with this niche.

The clue was presented in the standard format: a brief cryptic prompt that, when solved, would reveal the answer. In this case, the prompt read:

“Sweet sip that follows the meal (10)”

The answer, of course, was DESSERT WINE. The number in parentheses indicates the total number of letters, including the space between the two words.

2. Why the Answer Is More Than a Simple Phrase

The puzzle’s author purposely left the clue open‑to‑interpretation. Readers were forced to think beyond the obvious: the clue could refer to any sweet wine that is typically served after a meal. The article explains that “dessert wine” is a broad category that encompasses everything from Sauternes and Tokaji to the more modern Ice Wines of Canada and Germany. The article’s accompanying infographic (linkable via the puzzle’s website) lists several of the most celebrated examples and their unique characteristics:

This background helped readers realize that the crossword answer was not merely a random pair of words but a nod to a complex world of winemaking.

3. The Cross‑Word Mechanics

The article explains that the “dessert wine” clue is a straight definition: the entire phrase is the answer to the clue, rather than a cryptic or wordplay-based clue. This is common in American crosswords when a single word or phrase neatly fits the clue’s definition. The article also highlighted that the puzzle’s grid features the word DESSERT WINE in a 4‑letter “DESS” space intersecting with an 8‑letter “WINE” space. This layout made the solution a little easier to spot for those familiar with the crossword’s typical construction, where cross‑letter confirmations are critical.

The puzzle author also used a small but clever technique: the word “sweet” in the clue both references the literal sweetness of dessert wines and serves as a hint for solvers to think of sweet, sugary drinks. The puzzle’s creator has a habit of using “sweet” in a similar fashion in several other clues that week, as explained in the article’s editorial section.

4. A Little Wine Education

Because the crossword’s theme is centered on dessert wines, the USA Today article didn’t simply stop at the puzzle. It also included a mini‑educational segment that explored what sets dessert wines apart from their dry counterparts. According to the piece:

• Dessert wines are often made from sugar‑rich grapes or those that have been naturally frozen (as in ice wine).
• The winemaking process involves deliberate stoppage of fermentation to preserve natural sugars, giving the wines their characteristic sweetness.
• Dessert wines pair wonderfully with cheese, fruit tarts, and chocolate desserts.

The article also quoted a local sommelier, Eleanor Kline, who remarked, “Crosswords give people a chance to see how wine terminology can be woven into everyday life, and that’s a wonderful way to spark interest in the beverage.”

5. Community Engagement and Follow‑Up

The article concluded with a call to action. Solvers who successfully filled in DESSERT WINE were invited to post their solutions and any extra dessert‑wine trivia on USA Today’s crossword forum. Several readers posted photos of their own small dessert‑wine tastings, sharing links to their favorite wine shops and a few tasting notes that spurred a lively discussion.

Additionally, the article contained a link to an external blog titled “5 Dessert Wines Every Home‑Brewner Should Try” (which is a separate USA Today feature). That blog gave a deeper dive into how home winemakers might replicate the delicate balance of sweetness and acidity in a small batch.

6. Takeaway: Crosswords as Cultural Touchstones

The “dessert wine” clue is more than a clever word puzzle; it’s an example of how crosswords can function as cultural touchstones, bridging seemingly disparate worlds—wine connoisseurship and daily crossword solving. The article illustrates how the puzzle not only tests knowledge of common crossword tropes but also nudges readers toward exploring the nuanced world of dessert wines.

For anyone who found the clue a challenge—or even one who was thrilled to solve it on their first try—the piece reminds us that even in a simple 10‑letter answer lies a whole world of flavor, history, and community waiting to be discovered. And that, as the article poetically notes, “Sometimes the sweetest answers come from the smallest of clues.”