I'm not much of a fan of cava, so this article had credibility for me. It's about bottles available in the US, but it's got some useful pointers if you are planning a visit to Catalonia (including the information that if thus far you haven't liked cava, you might like it better closer to the source):

http://events.nytimes.com/2010/05/12...ef=global-home

The International Competition Between Sparkling Wines in the World (Effervescents du Monde) 2009 taked place in Dijon, France. The awarded Spanish wines were:

GOLD MEDAL
* Cava Jaume Giro i Giro Selecte Reserva Brut -- JAUME GIRO I GIRO -- SANT SADURNI D’ANOIA
* Cava Brut -- BODEGAS ROURA -- ALELLA, BARCELONA
* Cava Luna de Murviedro Brut -- BODEGAS MURVIEDRO -- REQUENA, VALENCIA

SILVER MEDAL
* Cava Mont d’Arac Brut Nature -- CAN DESCREGUT -- VILOBI DEL PENEDES
* Cava Bohigas Gran Reserva Brut Nature -- FERMI BOHIGAS -- ODENA, BARCELONA
* Cava Castell dels Sorells Cuvée Saten Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2003 -- COCA SOLER -- TURIS, VALENCIA
* Cava Mas Macia Brut Nature 2006 -- FERMI BOHIGAS -- ODENA, BARCELONA
* Cava Perles Roses 2007 -- CAVAS NAVERAN -- TERRELAVIT, BARCELONA
* Cava Berta Bouzy Extra Brut -- MONT FERRANT -- BARCELONA
* Cava Blanes Nature Brut Extra -- MONT FERRANT -- BARCELONA
* Cava Brut Totus Tuus -- JOAN RAVENTOS ROSELL -- MASQUEFA
* Cava Gramona Argent Reserva Brut 2006 -- GRAMONA -- SANT SADURNI D’ANOIA
* Valencia DO - Reymos Brut -- ANECOOP -- VALENCIA

We found the still wines and the cava from Castillo Perelada very agreeable. A visit of the winery is an easy sidetrip from Figueres or Cadaques.

http://www.castilloperelada.com/

After seeing the results of this contest, I very doubtful about the significance of results. The only (!) German sparkling wine that was awarded a medal is a cheap mass-production type of poor quality.

In France, there are dozens of such contests each year. The main objective is to create medals that are used for marketing purposes. Consumers shall assume that a wine with a medal has a certain quality when they see it on the shelf in the supermarket.

I'm sure you're right about the marketing aspects of this "tasting" Echnaton, however since many of the cavas taste so similar to me, I'm going to use this as a guide. I'll be in Spain for a month beginning next week and this will be a nice diversion to the usual reds that I prefer and CAN taste the difference.

Thanks for the list.