## 1 Introduction  
The Chinese cherry (_Cerasus pseudocerasus_ ([PERSON]), belonging to the genus _Cerasus_ of the Rosaceae family, has been cultivated for over 3000 years in China [1, 2]. Due to its delicious taste and high nutritional and ornamental value, the Chinese cherry has been consumed widely in recent years, and has been playing a vital role in the promotion of the local economy with the rise in farm tourism [3]. However, Chinese cherries are difficult to preserve because of their thin skin and high water content; they are often eaten directly after picking or processed into juices and wines [4]. The consumption of cherry wine has become popular in China due to its high content of health-promoting bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, anthocyanins, vitamins and melatonin [5]. However, the low acidity of cherries (pH > 3.7) is an urgent challenge during wine production, because it increases the incidence of microbial spoilage, and promotes the formation of biogenic amines and volatile acid [6]. Moreover, the insufficient acidity of the material cannot allow highly aromatic cherry wine to meet the preferences of customers, and affects other sensorial properties of cherry wine, such as appearance and taste [7, 8, 9]. [PERSON] et al. [10] suggested that the proportion of flavylium ions would increase in a highly acidic fermentation environment, which contributes to the red and purple color in red wine. The appropriate acidity can promote astringency, inhibit sweetness and confer freshness and vitality in fruit wine, which give a more balanced and softer mouthfeel [11; 12; 13; 14]. In addition, [PERSON] et al. [9] confirmed that high total acidity can positively contribute to the acid hydrolysis of non-volatile flavor compounds, thus promoting the release of a floral aroma and other flavor precursor content in fruit. And the changes in pH caused by acidic content in wine can also affect enzyme activity related to aroma metabolism, which results in a change in the aroma composition [15]. Therefore, proper acidification treatment provides the possibility of improving the quality of cherry wine, and also satisfies the growing consumer demand for highly acidic cherry wine. Currently, the direct addition of organic acids, such as tartaric acid, citric acid, malic acid or lactic acid, is commonly used for wine acidification due to convenient operation, and usually performed before bottling [16; 17]. However, the effects of organic acid addition before fermentation on wine quality are rarely reported. Organic acids are identified as the pivotal contributors to malolactic fermentation and involved in microbial metabolism during or after alcoholic fermentation, resulting in great changes in the composition of the final product [18]. Malolactic fermentation is known as the process responsible for flavor profiles, such as those created by alcohols, esters, aldehydes and volatile fatty acids [19; 20]. Apart from this, they also provide carbon sources for lactobacillus growth and maintain the activities of microorganisms. Insufficient involvement of organic acids would limit the growth of organisms and the process of malolactic fermentation. Among the organic acids, malic acid is easily degraded by most wine microorganisms, and commonly used as an inducer for malolactic fermentation [21]. Lactic acid is the universal metabolite of malolactic fermentation, and also the main aroma precursor for esterification during winemaking [22]. Thus, it is hypothesized that the addition of malic acid or lactic acid could enhance the flavor of cherry wine. In order to investigate whether these two acids could be utilized as substrates to promote aroma formation during fermentation and the appropriate initial acid concentration required for cherry wine fermentation, different dosages of malic acid, lactic acid and their mixture were used to adjust the acidity of cherry must before alcohol fermentation. And their effects were compared with a control group via estimating their physicochemical indexes and non-volatile and volatile profiles.