In a geological sense the Weinstraße is an altitudinal belt (Höhenstufe) that is just under 150 metres high in the centre. It is part of the South German Scarplands and forms a hilly zone, about 85 kilometres long and 10 to 15 kilometres wide, that separates the Upper Rhine Plain from the mountains of the Palatine Forest. Its eastern edge is formed by the Haardt with its highest point, the Kalmit (673 m). The German Wine Road runs longitudinally through the region.