Yep, it’s summer. If you don’t believe the thermometer and the humidity indicator, just check your personal sweat factor.

Summer heat — especially Georgia summer heat — calls for lighter, cooler wines. Or Margaritas. (E-mail me and I’ll send you my recipe for the best-ever margarita.)

But I digress.

Both in terms of cocktail wine sipping (wine all by its own self) or with food, this kind of climate requires two things: Lighter and cooler.

The six of you who read this column on a regular basis know that I champion riesling, the medium-bodied, fruity white wine that becomes your best friend on a summer picnic. Whether from America’s West Coast, Germany or Australia, riesling — also known as Johannisberg Riesling — provides a cooling sip that nicely accompanies a chicken or ham salad sandwich, even cold fried chicken.

One rap against riesling, generally from folks not familiar with its character, is “It’s too sweet!” Yes, some of the big German rieslings are sweet — the ones labeled Auslese, Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese. They also are not made to be food wines, but primarily wines drunk with — or as — dessert. Look for German rieslings labeled Kabinett or Spatlese.

Two nice domestic rieslings come to us from Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington state and Mirassou, from California. Both are widely available and sensibly priced.

Another of my favorites is a hybrid — a blend of juice from Washington and from Germany’s Middle Mosel region. It bears the Pacific Rim label, and the bottle design is a hoot. It, too, can be found in many local wine shops and supermarkets.

Another summer wine I like is made from the legendary viognier (vee-on-YAY) grape, native to France’s Rhone Valley. Habersham Winery up Sautee-Nacoochee way makes a great viognier, although General Manager Steve Gibson finds it hard to keep up with the public demand for this award-winning wine.

I just sampled a new viognier release from Zaca Mesa Winery from California’s lush Central Coast. It’s delicious! You may have to look around for this one — it’s no supermarket wine — but it is a classic example of 100 percent viognier fruit.

Let me also recommend sauvignon blanc wines from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. These folks really know how to get the full expression of fruit from this great grape; they don’t mess it up with lots of oak. The Kiwis let the grapes speak, and what they have to say is worth listening to ... and tasting.

There are good sauvignon blancs out of California, too; some of them bear the name fume blanc (smoky white), a name coined by the late wine pioneer Robert Mondavi. The Mondavi fume blanc — not the generic sauvignon blanc — remains a finely crafted wine. So, too, is the fume blanc from Dry Creek Vineyards in northern Sonoma County.

And speaking of Dry Creek Vineyards, they produce a wonderful dry chenin blanc from the Clarksburg area of California, although this gem is difficult to find.

Fine summer whites hail from around the world: Torrontes from Argentina; Vermentino and Soave from Italy; Albarino from Spain’s Galician coast and, of course, chardonnay from just about anywhere and everywhere.

But don’t limit your hot-weather quaffing to whites. There are lovely dry rose wines out there, too. Look for dry pink wines from France’s Provence area and Loire Valley, and rosados and rosatos from Spain and Italy.

Searching for good, tasty, satisfying wines to assuage your summer appetite? No sweat!

Those who enjoy fine dining should be aware of a (relatively) new arrival in North Hall County. It’s the Olive Branch Bistro, run by Mike Hunt, former owner/chef of the now-deceased Rudolph’s Restaurant on historic Green Street in Gainesville.

Sadly Rudolph’s fell victim to the global economic decline. But Hunt has teamed with catering veterans Tim and Harriet Williams and is making a go of Olive Branch, with its eclectic and enticing menu. If you want to see what kind of fascinating edibles this wine-free eatery is offering, go to greengablesevents.com and click on the icon for Olive Branch.

Wine-free? Yep. But you are welcome to bring your own, for a reasonable $10 corkage fee. I like that. I get to bring a selection or two from my vault, and am not overcharged for the service.

By the time this column is published, the bride and I will have dined at Olive Branch Bistro and I’ll report back. It’s on Cleveland Highway just south of Quillian’s Corner. Begin to brake when you see the Dari Spot on your left, if you’re coming from Gainesville; Olive Branch is on your right.

Randall Murray is a Gainesville-area resident. Have a question about wine? He can be contacted at murrwine@aol.com. His column runs on the first Wednesday of the month.