Bitter is wine, but it sweetens all bitterness.

The line turns on a paradox: wine can taste “bitter,” yet it has the power to “sweeten” bitterness—i.e., to soften sorrow, disappointment, or hardship. Read figuratively, it suggests that a small, even sharp-edged pleasure (wine as a symbol of conviviality, poetry, or sensual delight) can transmute the emotional flavor of suffering. The saying also hints at moderation and artifice: what is not inherently sweet can nonetheless make life feel sweeter by changing one’s perception. In a broader ethical register, it can be taken as an observation about consolation—how ritual, companionship, or aesthetic experience can relieve grief without erasing its causes.