Definitions for "Dessert Wine"
Legally, in the US, this refers to fortified wines such as Port or Sherry, but also to the very inexpensive "more bang for your buck" sweet wines that are the favorite of college students and the stereotypical "bowery bum." In fine wine terms it refers to those wines that are destined to be enjoyed after a meal. All of the wines of this class are sweet but well balanced. They include the sauternes of France, the Beerenauslese and Trokenneerenauslese of Germany as well as similar wines from most growing regions of the world. Port and a few other fortified wines are often considered Dessert Wines, while Sherry and other drier fortified wines are more properly Aperitifs.
(1) A Sherry or other fortified wine. (2) Sweet wine customarily drunk with - or in place of - dessert, usually in small amounts or single portions.
A sweet, fortified wine usually served after dinner, when the flavor can be matched with sugary desserts.