Found in Central Europe, it was formally described as a new species in 1968 by lichenologists Josef Poelt and Siegfried Huneck.

The type specimen was collected from the San Michele Appiano region of Trentino-Alto Adige (Bolzano Province); there it was found growing on vineyard frames.

[2] A rare Central European lichen, Lecanora vinetorum occurs in Switzerland and northern Italy, at elevations between 270 and 780 m (890 and 2,560 ft).

Although Lecanora lichens are typically saxicolous (rock-dwelling) species, L. vinetorum is remarkable for having adapted to growth on wood sprayed with copper-containing fungicides.

This includes colonized trees (typically Prunus avium), and the sheltered tie-beams used in vineyard frames.