A Tasty, Sparkling December in Rome

Markets, festivals, tastings, cookery courses and show cooking are among the events organised in the name of good food to offer, with Christmas approaching, a tasty and sparkling month of December in Rome.
Things get off to a big start on Saturday, 1 December with ‘Sparkle 2013’ at the Grand Hotel Excelsior (Via Vittorio Veneto, 125), where from 4.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. you can taste the best Italian sparkling wines at the presentation of the 11th edition of ‘Sparkle Bere Spumante’ (Admission €10 including booklet).
Friday, 7 December and Saturday, 8 December, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., at Villa Piccolomini (Via Aurelia Antica 164) there is ‘Vinòforum Class’, with tastings of a selection of the best Italian and international wines (Information and reservations at www.vinoforum.net/class).
On 8 and 9 December, from 10.30 a.m. to 10 p.m., ‘Sua Eccellenza Italia 2012’ takes place at Città del Gusto (Via Enrico Fermi 161): for the first time Gambero Rosso opens its television studio and editorial office to the public for two days of ‘Made in Italy’, with special tastings of the best Italian products, visits to the editorial offices, cookery courses and show cooking (Admission €5; information and reservations at www.gamberorosso.it).
On 14 December, again at Città del Gusto, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., there is ‘Bollicine 2013’, 150 producers and the best sparkling wines in Italy for you to taste (Admission €20).
Saturday, 15 December and Sunday, 16 December the Christmas festival of Italian and foreign craft beers returns to Trastevere for ‘Birre sotto l’Albero 2012’ which will be held in two venues in Via Benedetta, ‘Bir & Fud’ and ‘Ma che siete venuti a fà’.
Last, on 16 December olive oil is the star of ‘Flos Olei 2013’ at Rome’s Grand Hotel Excelsior (Via Vittorio Veneto 125), from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with presentations and tastings of the best extra-virgin olive oils from Italy and other countries (Admission €5).