Weingut Rudi Pichler

Kollmütz

The soils of Ried Kollmütz developed out of the Wösendor f Slide Mass, from severely weathered crystalline rock called paragneiss. Paragneiss was formed from metamorphosed sediments, created under extreme conditions of increased pressure and heat during the Variscan orogeny, becoming exposed once more af ter extensive erosion of the erstwhile mountain range. The paragneisses of the Wachau are several hundred million years old and are distinguished by their multifacetted mineral constituents. The slumping process of the slide mass itself is dated by geologists to the Egerian Period (ca. 20–25 million years ago). The sandy and calcareous soils of the Kollmütz are par ticularly rich in iron, manganese and magnesium.