**4. Summary**

Increased anthropogenic inputs of trace metals in soils have received considerable attention since they can enter the food chain by different ways. Soils receiving repeated applications of fungicides, pesticides or manure exhibit high concentrations of extractable metals, espe‐ cially copper. From the commercial aspect, wine-growers are now showing increasing inter‐ est in the effects of soil composition, its fertility and texture upon wine quality. Special importance is laid on the influence of soil geochemical characteristics, including accumula‐ tion of certain toxic elements, on grape and wine quality. A variety of factors, both spatial and temporal, affect the grape quality, many of them being specific exactly to the given wine-growing site. Grape growing conditions and enological potential have been created, among other factors, also by landscape characteristics: soil, climate and topography. These factors are much less changeable than biological (cultivar, stock) or human (ampelotechnics, vinification) factors and for this reason the concept of *viticultural terroir* is based on the sim‐ ple relationship between soil and wine. Since *terroir* is defined as an interactive ecosystem, it is very difficult to evaluate scientifically its contribution to plant capacity to accumulate bio‐ active phytochemicals good for human health.

Soil is a factor of the natural environment and its effect on wine quality and grape composi‐ tion is highly complex, since it affects mineral nutrition of grapevine, water uptake, as well as rooting depth and rhisosphere temperature. Land use for agriculture causes great changes in the natural properties of soil. Translocation of soil by tillage may be the key rea‐ son for redistribution of soil particles within the profile and over the entire site, while ero‐ sion due to tillage is especially present in hilly landscapes. Tillage and homogenization of several natural horizons alter both morphological and physicochemical characteristics of soil, which affect metal behaviour in soil – plant system.

The mobility and bioavailability of metals depends not only on the its total concentration in soil but also on soil properties, metal characteristics and environmental conditions. Trace metals are present in soil in various forms: water soluble, exchangeable, carbonate associat‐ ed, oxide associated, bound on organic matter and residual forms. Obviously, various metal forms have different mobility. Water soluble and exchangeable fractions are readily released to the environment, whereas the residual fractions are immobile under natural conditions. The most common observation in majority of studies dealing with sequential or partial ex‐ traction of soil trace elements, including copper as well, is that they are not completely spe‐ cific to metals or chemical phases. The complexity of bioavailability phenomenon comes out from an arry of matrix-related, species-related and metal-related issues.

Plant copper uptake occurs predominantly from the soil solution, indicating that soil charac‐ teristics that determine copper solubility, will also determine the copper phytoavailability. However, roots can alter the chemical mobility and thus the bioavailability of copper in the rhizosphere. Remediation of contaminated vineyard soils is an issue of debate and it should be focused on growing practice and vineyard management more than application of the re‐ mediation techniques per se (i.e. phytoextraction). Periodical monitoring of soil quality indi‐ cators is a required wine-growing practice. If systematically collected information is associated to a location, then it can be useful to all participants in the complex process of grape and wine production, wine marketing and consumption. Use of advanced analytical and information technologies may significantly improve the production and contribute to rational utilization of resources.
