Grandpa Falls Down a 130-Foot Ravine and Survives 3 Days with Nothing but Wine

A 77-year-old man from southern France just lived through what sounds like a scene straight out of a survival comedy — with a seriously French twist.

According to CBS News and The Independent, the man was biking home from a supermarket trip in the Cévennes mountains earlier this month when he missed a curve and went tumbling 130 feet down into a rocky ravine near Saint-Julien-des-Points. His crash left him stranded on the banks of the Gardon River — alone, injured, and completely stuck.

But here’s where it gets wild: for three whole days, the only thing he had to drink was red wine.

Yes, seriously. The bottle of wine he’d just bought for dinner became his literal lifeline.

Too weak to climb out, the man reportedly shouted for help whenever he heard a car drive by. Sadly, no one heard him for days — until a team of road workers happened to be nearby and finally picked up his faint calls for help. They spotted his damaged bike at the bottom of the ravine and immediately called rescue crews.

Firefighters and a helicopter rescue team eventually hoisted the man to safety and flew him to a nearby hospital. Incredibly, doctors said he only suffered minor injuries and mild hypothermia — likely from repeatedly falling into the stream while trying to escape.

“He’s a miracle,” said Dr. Laurent Savath, the chief medical officer who treated him. “In the cold and damp, with almost no food or water, he’s incredibly resilient.”

And while doctors might not recommend a wine-only diet, this French grandpa has officially proven that sometimes, a good bottle of red really can save your life.