To the east of the residential apartments could be found the production equipment, accessed by a third courtyard. The most visible trace is a large warehouse, a 300 sq. m utilitarian structure with two naves separated by an axial line of columns. This large-scale building at the eastern corner of the peristyle stood some 10 metres tall, and rose well above the roof of the nearby residence. It was accessed from the gallery, thus allowing the owner, or more likely the steward, to keep an eye on the estate's wine cellar. Nearly the entire surface of the warehouse was taken up by rows of large jars, buried up to their necks – this is the dolia defossa as described by Roman authors. The dolium, which in Narbonese Gaul was up to 2 metres tall, is a recipient capable of holding between 1,200 and 2,000 litres of liquid. In the Loupian warehouse, there were more than 90 such jars, sealed with pitch, which were used for winemaking. Pressing equipment was not kept in the warehouse but nearby. In the provinces under the Early Roman Empire, wine-presses were of the levered type – a heavy wooden beam, held in place horizontally by pillars, was used to crush the grapes and extract the juice, or must. The weight and pressure were increased by the use of a counterweight or a screw.
