![](http://www.spiritedbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Chateau-St-Jean-Unlock-The-Chateau-barrel-photo-locks-credit-Laura-Hughes-200x300.jpg)
Unlock the Chateau [Photo by Laura Hughes, courtesy Chateau St. Jean Winery]
Experiential tourism is defined as “a form of tourism in which people focus on experiencing a country, city, or particular place by connecting to its history, people, and culture.” If that’s not a hand-in-glove description of walking through a brewery or distillery’s production facility, learning about the history of the land while walking through an orchard or vineyard, or of watching harvested fruit come in from the fields, then what is?
There are ways to increase this connection even further. Playing off the growing popularity of escape rooms (in which a team of people must find clues and solve puzzles to complete a given mission), Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, Calif., recently debuted a visitor experience called Unlock the Chateau.
![](http://www.spiritedbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Chateau-St-Jean-Unlock-The-Chateau-clues-credit-Laura-Hughes-300x200.jpg)
Unlock the Chateau [Photo by Laura Hughes, courtesy Chateau St. Jean Winery]
“You begin with a glass of sparkling wine, then solve riddles to move from room to room,” Cheng explains. “The riddles are logical and mildly challenging, but a host monitors and offers some insights and gentle help along the way.”
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Unlock the Chateau [Photo by Laura Hughes, courtesy Chateau St. Jean Winery]
In the months since it debuted, Unlock the Chateau has become popular as both a recreational and professional team-building destination. “We have some bookings right now that reach into 2019, but generally most bookings happen within the month,” says Cheng. “We expect this will continue to be popular as a team-building experience for companies and, as the word spreads of the opportunity, we expect to see a steady stream of future bookings.”