Who is Brunello Bombshell?
Maria Banson is a Certified Sommelier living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, award-winning director of stage and screen Enrico Banson. A “semi-retired” actor and classical musician, Maria enjoys listening to Verdi operas and singing "Libiamo" while drinking Special Club Champagne… or old Brunello.
Follow Maria on Instagram and TikTok @brunellobombshell.
(Okay, now that the professional bio is out of the way, here’s the ever-so-slightly unhinged version…)
I’m Maria Banson.
Virgo sun, Scorpio moon and rising.
I’m a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Currently studying for the Advanced Sommelier Exam, which I’ll sit in 2026.
Before I got swept up in the wide world of wine, I was a theatre and opera professional who wore a lot of hats. Stage director, music director, orchestral conductor, musicologist, actor, singer across multiple genres and languages...
And then I met my husband, the indie filmmaker also known as
.
While I consider myself “semi-retired” from life in entertainment, I’m still my husband’s casting director. And never say never to a return to the stage!
My two major goals?
Academy Award winner. Master Sommelier.
I’m going to be the first person to do both.
I started doing wine and movie pairings on Instagram - just on a whim - in 2020.
I dabbled in some very cinematic photo shoots in the early days, but nowadays I love the long form versions that I write here on Substack.
For more information, you can read a more detailed About The Author post right here.
So what’s it all about?
Brunello Bombshell brings together two great forms of culture - wine and the entertainment world - into one shared space. Here we talk about the latest news in the wine world, what I’m drinking when I watch a movie or TV show, and anything you ever wanted to know about #sommlife.
Since October 2023, Brunello Bombshell has grown into a digital magazine that I’m very proud to share with the world. From a wine news podcast to guest articles to the popular Pre-Shift roundups every week, it’s been a treat to converge all my favorite forms of culture into one space that is celebrated by cinephiles and wine lovers like you.
Here’s the rundown of what to expect every week:
Pre-Shift Mondays are a thing around here! Every Monday, I post a roundup of all the previous week’s Brunello Bombshell articles, plus a few articles from Substack writers that have caught my eye. In the words of Maria von Trapp, this is “a very good place to start”!
Tuesdays offer the most variety during the week. This is when you’ll peep my monthly watch list, a personal essay from me, or maybe something completely wild and new! Some of these Tuesday articles are reserved just for paid subscribers, while others will be free for all to read.
As the Brunello Bombshell community continues to grow, Wednesdays are designated for guest posts in the Stagiaires series. I’m also a regular contributor to
’s Wine Conversations series every month, so every Wednesday I’m either a somm stage in the kitchen, or opening the door for some stellar writers to come through Brunello Bombshell and letting them cook.
The Wine Press is your weekly dose of wine news, now available as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and right here on Substack. Tune in each Thursday for the most eye-catching news from the wine world and beyond!
And of course, Wine and Movie Pairings will hit your inbox every Friday, running the gamut from the latest blockbuster to classic flicks paired with my favorite beverages from around the world. Expect to see mostly cinematic titles here, but a great TV show may pop up here and there. And just because I’m a sommelier doesn’t mean that I focus exclusively on wine! A good restaurant beverage list has something for everyone, so don’t be surprised if there’s a great beer, cocktail, or non-alcoholic beverage pairing every once in a while.
Great! What do I get when I subscribe?
Free subscribers will be able to access The Wine Press podcast every Thursday and Wine and Movie Pairings every Friday, and they’ll have access to most other columns for seven days after publication.
Paid subscribers get full access to the newsletter and website. Every new article from Brunello Bombshell goes directly to your inbox Monday through Friday, and the archive is completely open to you! There will also be some special paid subscriber-only posts (because a somm knows to stash a few rare gems away when the real ones come through the restaurant).
This is the best way to support my writing, and to keep all this incredible content coming on a regular basis. I’m almost entirely a one-woman operation over here (although major points go to my incredibly handsome and talented podcast editor, who is also my husband). For $5 a month or $50 a year, there’s a lot of content and a LOT of perks!
Gift subscriptions are a great way to share Brunello Bombshell with your favorite cinephile or wine lover! For the person who already has an extensive collection of Blu-Rays and bottles, what could be better than all this delicious writing about wine and movies?
If you’re really into the wine and movies game, become an OG Bombshell and I’ll throw in a 30 minute Zoom session with me to chat all things wine. If you need an expert opinion on what to stock in your cellar, or you want to talk to me about what wine pairs with your favorite movie, this one-on-one session is your time to ask your friendly neighborhood sommelier anything you wanted to know about wine.
What if I can’t swing a monthly payment right now?
Alternatively, a great way to financially contribute to Brunello Bombshell without an ongoing paid subscription is to Buy Me A Coffee. Sommeliers run on copious amounts of coffee (aside from beer, it’s our secret weakness). As I’m saving up for the Advanced Course this June, you can be sure that any financial contributions go directly towards funding (and fueling) my wine study.
If you’re a film student or a wine student that wants to get into some premium Brunello Bombshell, drop me a line at brunellobombshell@gmail.com and I’ll comp you for a few months. The best part of acquiring knowledge is giving it to someone else, so take this as your sign to pay it forward to someone else today.
Thank you for your readership and your support as this corner of the Internet grows a little bigger!
Welcome home, Bombshells!
If you’re someone who enjoys drinking wine, watching movies, talking about wine and movies as art forms with deep cultural implications, or you re-watch the SOMM documentary more times than you’d like to admit… welcome home! Hit that Subscribe button, grab a glass of something delicious, and take a look around.
