National Recipe Contest Returns Alongside a Cross-Country Football Tour Celebrating Wine as the Ultimate Game-Day Beverage
MANTECA, Calif., Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bota Box, the country’s best-selling premium boxed wine brand*, is kicking off football season with the return of its “Wing It with Bota” campaign, an expanded celebration of wine, wings and tailgating that gives fans nationwide the chance to discover new game day pairings, cheer on their favorite teams at tailgates across the country and compete for a trip to the ultimate Big Game experience. With Bota Box’s award-winning wines in portable, shatterproof packaging that’s easy to pack, pour and share wherever fans gather, “Wing It with Bota” is about pairings that elevate the experience without the hassle, freeing fans to live in the moment and enjoy the game-day experience.
The “Wing It with Bota” national recipe and wine pairing contest returns for a second year, giving home cooks a chance to win two tickets to football’s biggest showdown in February 2027 in Los Angeles. From August 24 through October 31, 2026, participants can enter online at botabox.com/football by pairing an original chicken wing recipe with their favorite Bota Box wine. Three finalists will receive an all-expenses-paid trip for two to showcase their wing and wine combos and compete at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate on February 14, 2027 where a grand prize winner will be crowned just before the Big Game.
Last year’s field set the bar high. Of the hundreds of wing recipes and wine pairings submitted across the U.S. in 2025, grand prize winner Natalie Harwood’s Black Cherry Smoke RedVolution Wings won over a panel of NFL-legend judges with its bold flavor and game-day-ready wine pairing. This year’s contest keeps the same open playbook: no limits on flavor, wine or wing style, just a home cook’s best original creation. Which recipe will redefine game-day pairings this year?
Building on a strong debut season as the ultimate game-day drink, Bota Box has expanded its playbook in 2026 with a season-long, cross-country tour that brings fans together from kickoff to championship weekend. From pre-game events to the biggest celebrations of the season, Bota Box will show up where fans gather, offering great wines designed for every game-day occasion. Fans can find Bota Box at:
- The National Buffalo Wing Festival: As the official wine sponsor, Bota Box kicks off tailgating season on August 29-30 at the 25th anniversary of the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York. Festivalgoers aged 21 and older can sample wings paired with Bota Box wines, snap photos of endzone-worthy touchdown poses and score prizes from a larger-than-life Bota Box vending machine loaded with exclusive giveaways.
- The Tailgate Tour: New for 2026, Bota Box will hit the road as the Official Wine of The Tailgate Tour, the largest traveling fan experience in college football. From September 6 through November 28, Bota Box will bring its signature game day experience to 13 college football game matchups, including marquee showdowns, conference clashes and historic rivalries. Fans aged 21 and older can visit the Bota Box fan zone to enjoy wine sampling, tailgate-inspired bites, and memorable game day moments.
- Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate: To close out the season, Bota Box joins Guy Fieri’s fifth annual Flavortown Tailgate, the largest free pre-kickoff celebration of Big Game Weekend. Bota Box will bring “Wing It with Bota” to life through a pop-up experience featuring wing-and-wine pairings from the three recipe contest finalists.
“For the last two decades, Bota Box’s portable packaging has been making it easy for football fans to share premium wine while cheering for their favorite teams, whether that’s at a tailgate or around a big screen TV at home,” said Mary Wachowicz, marketing director for Bota Box. “We’re excited to bring back our ‘Wing It with Bota’ contest and hit the road with The Tailgate Tour and head back to the biggest tailgate on Big Game Weekend. For us, it’s simple: good wine, good food and good company equals good times.”
Beyond the contest, botabox.com/football and @botabox on Instagram are hubs for tailgate season all year, featuring recipes, pairing guides and game-day inspiration for fans planning their next watch party and pre-game gathering. Bota Box can be found at major retailers nationwide, including Target, Walmart, Kroger, Publix, Total Wine, Sam’s Club and more, with select in-store shopper activations rolling out this fall to help fans stock up for game day.
*Source: Circana, Total US Multi-Outlet + Convenience, 52 weeks ending 7-12-26
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About Bota Box®
Bota Box is one of the most popular premium wine brands in the U.S. and is the U.S. category leader in premium 3-liter boxed wine*. Named 2020 “Wine Brand of the Year” by Market Watch magazine, the Bota Box portfolio includes Nighthawk® by Bota Box, which offers wines with a richer, bolder flavor profile, and Bota Box Breeze, America’s number one light wine brand. In addition to 3-liter bag-in-box cartons, select Bota Box wines are also packaged in 500-milliliter Tetra Paks. Produced at the Bota Box Certified Sustainable California winery, Bota’s ecologically friendly, portable, shatter-proof 3-liter cartons use state-of-the-art technology that keeps the wine fresh for up to 30 days once open. Delicato Family Wines launched Bota Box in 2003, taking inspiration from traditional Spanish wine skins known as “botas”. For more information, visit botabox.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
*Source: Circana, Total US Multi-Outlet + Convenience, 52 w/e 6/14/26
About Delicato Family Wines
Delicato Family Wines is a fourth-generation, family-owned company founded in 1924 and ranks among the largest wine companies in the U.S. Delicato’s diversified portfolio of leading wine brands includes Bota Box, Coppola Diamond Collection, Noble Vines, Gnarly Head, Z. Alexander Brown, Coppola Director’s Cut, Black Stallion, Three Finger Jack, 1924, and Schmitt Söhne Family Wines (Germany). Transcendent Wines, Delicato’s fine wine portfolio, includes such luxury brands as Black Stallion Limited Release (Napa) and Diora (Monterey, Calif.) in addition to imported luxury estate wines such as Stoneleigh (New Zealand) and Torbreck Vintners (Australia). For more information, visit delicato.com and follow on LinkedIn and Facebook.
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