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The house I grew up in had large French windows that opened up on to the garden and the public pathway beyond. In the same way that it offered a perfect vista from which to watch the village comings and goings, so too passers-by were able to keep their eyes on us.

A couple of years ago now, a worried friend and neighbour walked into the house and shouted out to my mum: "Good grief Jill. I thought you were dead.". She should really have known better; this was Wimbledon fortnight. In this two-week period my mum sits in the living room, glue-eyed to the telly. You'll be lucky to see her move an inch in her seat; hence the reason for our neighbours' alarm.

I have to confess to having inherited this peculiar fascination for Britain's finest tennis tournament and am similarly addicted.

This year I'm sharing the fun with another loyal tennis fan who, I'm pleased to say, is as mad for good wine as she is for the game.

The key to successful Wimbledon watching is to have as few reasons as possible to move away from the television. Food has to be simple and quick to prepare and the wines need to be easy, adaptable and economical enough to see you through a riveting five-setter.

The Oxford Times Wine Club has, this week, the perfect selection. It's a case of wines that are made for this sort of occasion and I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

The first is a refreshing little number from Sicily. Inzolia is a grape that is - more often than not - found mostly as part of a blend because its good quality comes at the cost of being comparatively low-yielding. This refreshing little number is an ideal match with a bowl of quickly-prepared pasta with fresh peas and a few strips of ham.

The wines of Orvieto come from the Umbrian region and the whites are typically a blend of Trebbiano, Verdello, Grechetto and Malvasia.

Historically, the wines from this area were sweet and were once described as "the sun of Italy in a bottle", but the modern versions are overwhelmingly made in a dry style. Deliciously simple.

Until comparatively recently I'd had a bit of a hit-and-miss relationship with Nero d'Avola wines. It's another Sicilian grape variety and perhaps it's because the choice has so dramatically improved and with it the quality, but I've found many more to like than dislike in the last year.

It's not really a wine to be drinking in the middle of the day. The wines are soft and rich and, for me, more of an evening choice.

Sticking with the minimum effort, maximum telly time theme, I'm going to drink this with a plate of Penne, fried sausage and a sprinkling of herbs.

In direct contrast with my Nero d'Avola experiences, I have found the wines of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo to be among my most favoured and reliable reds. Both the name of the region and of the grape variety, I truly believe that these wines offer fantastically good value.

The wines are round and generous but with enough tannin and acidity to make them the ultimate food all-rounder. Since it's a bit of a favourite I'm actually going to make the most of it and make a really lovely tomato sauce in one of the (inevitable) rain breaks to stir into a bit of spaghetti to enjoy with this wine.

So, if anyone happens to be walking by my window in the coming week, rest assured that I'm in rude health. Great wine, good food and the utterly compelling tennis is a winning combination.

Click here for The Oxford Times Wine Club offers.

1:32pm Thursday 26th June 2008

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