Abbruchkante – Escarpment

Read the audio guide

The Earth’s history, layer by layer

At this escarpment, the structure of the Roter Hang is particularly easy to see. Layers of Rotliegend rock are exposed here, their red colour coming from iron compounds within the stone.

Traces of a hot, dry landscape

These sediments formed around 280 million years ago under conditions that were at times hot and dry. Water and wind carried sand, dust and fine rock material. Repeated deposits built up layers that later hardened into stone. The recording illustrates this landscape through the image of a semi-desert and a comparison with Death Valley.

At that time, the area lay much closer to the equator. The long-term movement of the continents brought it to its present geographical position. The Upper Rhine Graben also formed through movements in the Earth’s crust. It was not dug out by the Rhine: the river only occupied this landscape later. The formation of the rock, the development of the rift and the present course of the river therefore belong to different chapters of geological history.

The Palaeontological Museum in Nierstein displays further evidence of that past. The audio guide mentions traces of prehistoric reptiles, beetles, millipedes and scorpions. Here outdoors, you can examine the texture of the red earth at close quarters: the foundation of these distinctive vineyard soils.

Experience wine where it grows

The Roter Hang Wine Showcase has taken place along this route since 1989, traditionally on the second weekend in June. The wines’ origins, the growers’ craft and the views across the landscape are all part of the experience. Participating winegrowers submit their wines, predominantly Rieslings, to a blind tasting. The selected wines then appear on the Showcase tasting lists.

The evening programme also includes the Riesling Lounge at the Fockenberghütte. You can hear and read more about it at Stop 6. Current dates and programmes are listed on the relevant event pages.

The date given for the formation of the Rotliegend has been corrected in this reading version, using the association’s geology article, pages 26–27 ↗ (in German).