Found in North America and the Dominican Republic, mushrooms grow on the ground under pine trees.

The gills are thick, initially pale orange before turning blackish, and extend a short way down the length of the stem.

C. vinicolor is differentiated from the European C. rutilus and the North American C. ochraceus by the thickness of its cystidial walls.

The species was first described as Gomphidius vinicolor in 1898 by American mycologist Charles Horton Peck, based on specimens collected near Lake Mohonk in Ulster County, New York.

[3] Molecular analysis of internal transcribed spacer DNA sequences shows that C. vinicolor groups in a clade with the closely related C. jamaicensis and C. pseudovinicolor.

[8] The thick gills are decurrent (attached to and extending a short ways down the stem), well spaced, ochraceous buff to pale orange when young, but turning to blackish after the spores mature.

[6] In his original description, Peck noted that the gills, when viewed with a hand lens, "appear velvety due to the abundant spores".

[2] The fruit bodies are initially covered with a thin, web-like partial veil that soon disappears as the cap expands.

[9] Although the mushroom is edible, and is often free of insect damage, it is not highly recommended,[10] "except as "fillers" to include with the more flavorful species".

[10][11] C. vinicolor mushrooms are sold in local markets at Tetela del Volcan in the state of Morelos, Mexico.