What are "slutty" wines?

Have you ever heard anyone refer to a wine as slutty? Did it make sense, even if you couldn't really accurately describe why?

I was drinking one evening with wine industry friends. We decided to give a trial (some wine that a winemaker friend was experimenting with), unlabelled, barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc a try and the resounding conclusion was that yes, indeed, this was a slutty wine. We even went so far as to name the wine "Ashleigh" (the spelling is important).  It was a wine that fell into the category MTGA Wines describes in his post "What Makes A Wine Slutty?": 

"For me, a “slutty” wine is one that is very approachable or easy, very silky, smooth with rich and ripe flavors. There is some structure there, but definitely not enough to make it edgy or require food to help smooth it out. Last but not least, there could be a halfway decent chance that there is a tad of residual sugar hiding in these wines; not enough to make it sweet per se but enough to make your tastebuds stand up on end and pay attention. Also in regard to food pairings, these wines are notoriously hard to pair with anything. They are usually so approachable that they don’t have enough backbone to create fun and interesting contrasts with potential food pairings."

However, according to the Atlantic's "Apparently, No One Likes Syrah Because It's Too Slutty", using words like slutty:

 "continues the old time tradition of comparing wines to women who want to have sex with you". 

While I won't be delving into a commentary on the patriarchy in this post (even though I'd love to!) - it's easy to relate to both of these perspectives. In many ways, they both hold merit. Is using a term that connotes sexuality archaic - or edgy?

Fanfare aside, when we think of the term "slutty", what comes to mind? Slutty defined means "any woman who acts like a whore". It begs to question, are our definitions outdated? What was once deemed as inappropriate behaviour, is by and large, perfectly acceptable now. Which brings me to my interpretation of what makes a wine slutty - empowered. A slut, or whore, by an obsolete definition could really just be perceived as a woman - OR MAN - who is in charge of his or her own sexuality. Shake your head, tell me I'm reaching - but give me a chance here to explain.

When I think of the term "slutty", I think of a wine that isn't trying to be something that it's not. It's up front, but can still be complex. It's fun, but can still have some depth to it. And, it most certainly can be paired with food. Maybe it's not a cellar worthy wine, but it has layers. It's a wine that lacks austerity, but sometimes that's not what I want in a wine. Now and then, I just want a wine that says "I'm here, this is what I am, don't try to make me something that I'm not". Is that not exactly what you would call slutty?

As far as "Ashleigh" goes - in terms of flavour profile - think of the juiciest, ripest, almost over ripe pineapple you've ever tasted, pan fry it, and then douse it in brown butter. This wine was absolute silk, and sex on the palate. If slutty doesn't accurately describe a wine of this nature, I don't know what will.