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• An effective deacidification of KHCO 3 addition in wine was investigated. • pH adjustment helped to initiate malo-lactic acid conversion in V. amurensis wines. • The addition of KHCO 3 after alcoholic fermentation enhanced wine aroma. • The pH of alcoholic fermentation dominated the level of esters and higher alcohols. • Sufficient malolactic fermentation helps to enhanced the global aroma. To produce quality dry red wines with high-acidity grapes of Vitis amurensis , an experiment was designed to adjust pH during winemaking by adding KHCO 3 at two time points and two pH levels in conjunction with malolactic fermentation (MLF). The organic acids and volatiles were detected by HPLC and GC–MS separately, combing with the color characteristic and sensory evaluation, we investigated the quality of V.amurensis wines under pH adjustment. Results showed that the pH adjustment weakened the wine color slightly but helped to initiate MLF. The low pH value of alcoholic fermentation favored the development of esters and higher alcohols. Higher pH levels promoted a sufficient MLF and enhanced the global aroma levels by 1.14–1.25 times, which led to higher sensory scores. In conclusion, KHCO 3 addition and MLF improved the quality of V. amurensis dry red wines, chemical addition after alcoholic fermentation was more effective for cold regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]