Tariff Update

Tariff Update: Current Rates and Clarifying Refunds 

February 25, 2026 

Dear Clients and Friends, 

We want to provide you with an important update regarding the evolving U.S. customs situation following recent court rulings and White House announcements. As always, our goal is to keep you informed and make this process as straightforward as possible. 

The Current Customs Landscape We have finally received guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). At this time, the new Section 122 tariff has been implemented at 10%. 

While the White House has announced an intention to increase this tariff to 15%, there is currently no timeline for when—or if—that increase will take effect. 

How We Are Handling Current and Future Shipments Because tariff rates can change without warning while wines are in transit, we must protect your shipments against sudden increases. Moving forward, we will collect a 15% tariff deposit on incoming orders to cover the maximum expected Section 122 rate. 

• If your wine clears customs at the current 10% rate: We will promptly refund you the 5% difference. 

• If the rate increases to 15% before your wine clears: Your shipment is already fully covered, and no further action or payment will be required. 

Understanding Your Potential Refunds Because there has been so much news regarding tariffs and court rulings, we want to clearly distinguish between the two different types of refunds currently in discussion: 

• 1. The New 5% Transit Deposit Refund: This applies only to current and upcoming shipments under the new Section 122 rules. If we collect a 15% deposit and your wine clears customs at 10%, we control this process and will refund the 5% difference to you directly once clearance is confirmed. 

• 2. Historical IEEPA Tariff Refunds (if implemented): This applies to shipments that already cleared customs under the previous tariffs, which the Supreme Court recently ruled illegal. We are still waiting on CBP to announce if, when, and how these historical refunds could be processed. We do not control this timeline, as it is entirely dependent on the U.S. government publishing an official procedure. We will notify you the moment we have concrete instructions. Please note that if there are refunds, we will happily refund you the tariff you paid once we receive a refund from the government.  

We will continue to monitor the situation daily and keep you informed every step of the way. 

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. 

The Cote d’Or Imports Team