County Fair invites vintners to register for June festival

Vintners are invited to register for the inaugural San Diego County Fair Commercial Wine Competition and Festival that will be held during the Paul Ecke Jr. Flower and Garden Show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The 2012 San Diego County Fair is set to begin June 8 and run until July 4, excluding June 11, 18 and 25 when it is scheduled to be closed. The festival — to be held June 9 — will celebrate the cultivation of grapes, called viticulture.

Professional vintners may register by mail or online at sdfair.com/entry.

The discount entry deadline is Feb. 24 and the final deadline for entry will be March 9.

A homemade wine competition will be held for amateur winemakers.

Entry information for the amateur completion is expected to be available in late February or early March, officials said.

The wines will be judged in a closed session at the fairgrounds on March 31.

The San Diego County Fair is the largest annual event in San Diego County and the sixth largest fair in the country, officials said.

The 2011 fair broke an attendance record with a total of 1.4 million visitors, officials said.