1881 Napa, a wine history museum, opened this month in Oakville, California. Oakville is about 97 kilometers north of San Francisco. The museum offers self-guided tours explaining the history of Napa Valley and the first people to call it home. Visitors can inspect a collection of rare winemaking tools, such as scalders, filters, spigots and soil injectors. A huge copy of an 1895 map of Napa County looks down on the room from above. The Boisset Collection operates wineries in California, France and Canada. The family-owned business purchased the 145-year-old redesigned house earlier this year. It also bought the nearby Oakville Grocery, which is said to be California’s oldest continuously operating grocery store. From 1881 Napa, one can see the Mayacamas Mountains and the famous To Kalon Vineyard across the street at the Robert Mondavi Winery. The museum is open to the public, and is free to visit. The ground floor holds a tasting room, where visitors can examine soil samples and read about vineyards in different parts of Napa Valley. They also can compare tastes of wines from cooler and warmer areas, hillsides and the valley floor.