always a sap when it comes to Champagne on New Year’s

[Coffee Break]

I encountered the expression "always a sap when it comes to Champagne on New Year’s", but am struggling to understand it. Could you please let me know what it means? Here is the excerpt:

“Going with someone?”
“With, without. Unclear.”
“Unclear to you or unclear to her?”
“That too is unclear.”
Mother snickers. Some things never change. Did I need anything? No. Had just come to wish her a Happy New Year. Well, if I had nothing better to do later tonight, maybe I could drop by again—always a sap when it comes to Champagne on New Year’s. There’s a cold bottle in the fridge, one never knows. Maybe, I say, meaning, Yes, but don’t bother waiting up for me. “At least try,” she throws in, a last appeal. I say nothing.

- André Aciman, Eight White Nights, Eight Night

This is a novel published in the United States of America in 2010. It is narrated by a nameless male protagonist. He meets Clara at a Christmas party in Manhattan. Now the protagonist is at his mother's home. His mother asks him whether he would accompany a girl to a party, and he responds vaguely, because he has not made appointment with Clara yet.

I wonder what the underlined expression means.
I especially wonder what "sap" here might mean, so I looked it up in the dictionary, but it has so many meanings, so I am confused...

 

[Tarheel]

No. Don't take a word from a phrase and expect to find its meaning that way.

The phrase "always a sap for something" means that "something" is something you have a weakness for. You can't resist doing it. The phrase "always a sap when it comes to Champagne on New Year's Eve" means the person wants to participate in that tradition. You only get one chance a year to drink Champagne on New Year's Eve, so you might not want let that opportunity pass you by. The "always a sap for something" phrase works for other things too, of course.

 

[emsr2d2]

I assume the capitalisation of "champagne" was taken direct from the book. That's fine if that's their style. It's worth noting, though, that in everyday English, it's only capitalised when referring to the Champagne region of France. There's no need to capitalise it when referring in general to the drink.

 

[Coffee Break]

@Tarheel and @emsr2d2 ,

Thank you very much for the explanations.

Oh, so "sap for something" means that the person cannot resist having champagne on New Year's Day.

I looked the expression up in the dictionary but couldn't find any idiom; I learned a new thing all thanks to you!

I found in the dictionary that "sap" can mean a foolish gullible person, so I guess "a sap for something" might mean that the person is easily persuaded into having something.

I assume the capitalisation of "champagne" was taken direct from the book. That's fine if that's their style. It's worth noting, though, that in everyday English, it's only capitalised when referring to the Champagne region of France. There's no need to capitalise it when referring in general to the drink.

Yes, the capitalisation is from the book! So the capitalised Champagne means the Champagne from the Champagne region of France. Probably the narrator here had the French Champagne in mind.

I sincerely appreciate your help.

 

[Rover_KE]

That’s the only region in the world allowed to call its sparkling white wine champagne - even if other vintners employ exactly the same manufacturing process and grape varieties.

 

[Skrej]

That’s the only region in the world allowed to call its sparkling white wine champagne - even if other vintners employ exactly the same manufacturing process and grape varieties.

That's true in a legal sense, but that doesn't stop most people from referring to all sparkling wines as champagne, even if the producer can't label it as such.

 

[emsr2d2]

Wines made using the same method as champagne, but not made in the Champagne region, are referred to as "traditional method". As Skrej says, though, many people would refer to an expensive bottle of sparkling white wine as champagne, even if it's not.

Off-topic: Spanish cava is made using that traditional method. Italian prosecco is not. In the UK, a lot of people think cava and prosecco are interchangeable. They're not.