weight and gear issue in light touring?

I am about to buy my first proper bicycle and as I've found this to be the most confusing thing I've ever tried to do, I'm seeking help from you people. I'm planning to do some light touring (mostly 5-50 km) on good roads (tarmac) and I think I'm more comfortable with quite vertical riding position, therefore flat bars are must. I've mostly narrowed my options for fitness/sporty hybrid bikes e.g. Bianchi Camaleonte, Cube SL Road, Specialized Crosstail Disc, Trek 7.2 fx etc. But few questions keep worrying my mind: 1) How many and what kind of gears are the best for light touring? Is 10-speed or under enough for climbing hills ( I am not planning to load my bike with stuff..)? 2) How important is bike's weight? The bikes I'm interested in vary from 10 kg to 14 kg. 3) Should I ever buy a bike without test ride?
These things are tough for me because I've ridden for years only short trips with my 3-speed commuter bike with 24 inch wheels. My local shops are selling mostly hybrid bikes that seem quite heavy (e.g. 14 kg). However from different websites I've found bikes like Hoy Shizuoka which weights under 10 kg. How much the bike's geometries differ? I mean, when you're looking at those geometry tables, there isn't that much difference between the bikes. I believe that Bianchi Camaleonte weights about 12 kg and I'd probably have a chance to test ride it in a nearby store but it would be fun to ride the bike that weights 10 kg, but they're just not available here.