atmosphere; atm
atm is the abbreviation for atmosphere, which in the wine world is the measurement for pressure used to produce sparkling wines. Technically, it’s the normal air pressure at sea level, approximately 14.7 pounds per square inch. In the production of a standard sparkling wine such as Champagne or spumante, the pressure should be 6 atm. A crémant-style sparkling wine has about half that pressure, and some frizzante-style Italian wines may have only 2 atm of pressure.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.