The National Hockey League has signed yet another new multiyear partner.

This week it’s Gallo’s Black Box, which becomes the NHL’s first-ever official wine partner. The brand joins other recent new sponsors including Adobe and Michelob Ultra.

While Black Box Wines is the first official wine partner at the overall league level, there have been smaller-scale or team-specific wine relationships in hockey history -- including Ackley Brands, a family-owned premium beverage brand based in Seattle, with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken as of last December. 

The deal with the wine brand will introduce an integrated marketing platform called Wine Wednesdays to bring wine to one of the NHL’s marquee broadcast nights of the week and make Black Box part of the viewing ritual for hockey fans around the country.

The partnership gives Black Box a new way to connect with consumers who over-index as wine drinkers and are more likely to enjoy wine at home during the week.

That group includes many women, and data highlights a major surge in women tuning into hockey, especially younger demographics (ages 18–34). TNT Sports reported female viewership was up 66% during the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in May and ESPN reported a 106% increase.

“Through Wine Wednesdays, we have an opportunity to become part of the rituals and traditions that make hockey fandom so special, from gathering with friends for midweek games to hosting watch parties during the Stanley Cup Playoffs,” says Nathan Barras, vice president of marketing at Gallo, in a release.

Black Box will bring the partnership to life beginning in 2027 through NHL platform integrations, in-arena programming, social and digital media, retail activations, select NHL Club integrations and on digitally enhanced dashboards. The brand will also connect with fans at marquee NHL events.