Ahh, summertime. And the livin’ is easy. Well, maybe not as easy as you’d like with a 40+ hour work week, a yard to mow, children to entertain, and hurricane preparation chores to complete.

But on this, the first day of summer, the Swirl Girls are feeling delirious as we slog through the humidity and Florida’s ferocious ultraviolet rays. So much so that we’ve had to resort to daydreamin’ to find relief from it in a superlative locale for a week (or two, or three …) devoted to summer’s requisite lazy days.

We each have our notion of the perfect summer vacation. Whether it involves a visit to wineries, a journey to cooler climes, or a snorkel through crystal Caribbean waters, it definitely includes the ideal bottle of wine. So, in the spirit of sharing, we invite you to revel in our imagination and our taste for “joie de vivre.”

Perhaps we’ll inspire you to conjure up your own summer utopia.

“Earthy’s” dream vacation:

As a native Floridian, my circadian rhythms are pretty much dictated by sunshine, warm breezes off the Gulf Stream, the music of rustling palm fronds, and direct access to ocean’s edge. The only thing that could pull all of those elements together in my ideal, dreamy state of summer vacation is to be on a sailboat cruising St. Somewhere in the Caribbean.

I want to watch the sun rise from one anchorage and then watch it set from another. In between, I’ll set the sails and rhythmically glide to the next ancient volcanic island, stopping only to picnic on a sugar sand beach or snorkel over a shallow reef. Talk about living a Jimmy Buffett song.

And while I’d definitely be in a Margaritaville state of mind, my choice of wine for this postcard vacation would be an albariño from Rías Baixas, in northwestern Spain. It’s a light, refreshing white wine – not as full as chardonnay, nor as minerally as riesling, nor as racy or herbal as sauvignon blanc. It can be highly aromatic with citrus, peach and honey, and its flavors range from citrus to honeysuckle. It’s supple, with a moderate alcohol level, and is just as enjoyable sipping alone for sunset celebration as it is with food.

And speaking of food, albariño is at its best with seafood. (Pretty darn convenient being surrounded by the ocean.) Of course, I don’t eat seafood, but that’s not a problem when drinking albariño. The fresh acidity makes it a great match for many types of food: light and creamy pasta and rice dishes, green salads and bean salads, light to medium-bodied cheeses. When you’re curing in the sun and salt, light and refreshing fare is the antidote to all that demanding play. As is this matching varietal and bottle: 2010 Martín Códax Albariño ($12.99 ABC, $14.49 Total Wine.) It’s crisp and juicy, with citrus, pear and sweet apple flavors. Bright and elegant, like a tropical island. With that choice out of the way, my toughest decision will be what bathing suit to bring.

“Bold’s” dream vacation:

Oh, to be in Sonoma, Calif., during May – that’s my summer dream of a vacation. It’s cool and crisp there, and it would mirror our best weather months in South Florida.

Having mountains, ocean and redwoods nearby means visits to places very different from home, but all within a day trip of each other. This would be perfect and, of course, the proximity to some of the best wineries in the country is a large factor.

I would seek a restaurant that had a delicious roast lamb or beef dish, and pair it with a bigger red wine. I have a wish list of wines from my visit to Sonoma a few years ago. Although some of these vintages aren’t available anymore, the wineries still produce these wines: 2006 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon ($33 online), a 2007 Jacuzzi Nero D’Avola ($27 online) or any vintage Paloma Syrah ($45 online). As readers know, I favor bolder, spicy wines with bouquets you can smell a foot from the glass. To me, these are great sipping wines, and they are definitely wonderful food wines with heavier foods. So in Sonoma during May, they would still be my choice. In South Florida, I’d wait till October to break these out.

“Dry’s” dream vacation:

Lately, my summertime dreams involve dramatic landscapes and mountain air. After last year’s summer trip to Spain and France, I’ve definitely caught the European bug. This year, I’m buzzing about Northern Italy. From the beautiful waterways of Venice to the long-aged Barolos of Piedmont, there’s plenty in Italy to inspire the imagination. But one region that’s really caught my eye is Trentino-Alto Adige. Bordering Austria and Switzerland to the north, this is an extremely mountainous area surrounded by the Dolomites and the Southern Alps. Once a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Alto Adige region (also called Südtirol) was ceded to Italy in 1919. The language, food and lifestyle are a mix of Mediterranean and Germanic influences. And the wine, though only a small percentage of Italian production, is known for both variety and quality.

In the midst of the Florida summer, I’ve spent many a moment dreaming of spectacular Alpine peaks, crisp breezes and quaint village centers. I’ve found myself seeking out the crisp white wines of the Alto Adige lately, a welcome escape in our hottest months.

Recently, I stopped into the Virginia Philip Wineshop & Academy to check out the selection. I described my Italian daydream to sommelier Richard Paladino and asked for a wine to help take me there. We looked at white Soave (from Veneto), light reds made from pino nero (pinot noir) and lagrein and the all-too-familiar pinot grigio before settling on a tall, thin bottle of Kellerei Cantina Terlan Pinot Bianco 2010, from Alto Adige. ($18.99) Just the sketch on the bottle – a steep hillside planted with vines – had me dreaming already.

A pale lemon yellow color in the glass, the wine has a crisp, minerally nose with lemon, lime, green apple and fresh white peach. The palate has a nice medium-weight to it, with fresh citrus fruit, balanced acidity and a long, very dry finish. And while the food of this region is heavily influenced by its northern neighbors (classics include dumplings, apple strudel and boneless pork meat called ‘speck’), I chose to pair this wine with a classic Mediterranean dish – a filet of sole pan-seared, topped with lemon, tomato, mushroom and capers, and served over capellini tossed in a good olive oil. It was the perfect match, and for just a moment, the Florida palms disappeared. I was walking on cobblestone streets on a cool, sunny day, surrounded by towering mountains, a cool breeze running through my hair.